What does "condition" mean?
A state or quality.
Condition
/kənˈdɪʃ(ə)n/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A state or quality.
- Grammar: condition is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: precondition, shape, status, stipulation.
- Useful contrasts: allow, consequents, disrepair.
- Usage evidence: I accept, but only under one condition.
How to use "condition"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "condition" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "condition" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "condition" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "condition" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "condition" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "precondition" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "condition", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A state or quality. countable, uncountable
"National reports on the condition of public education are dismal."
- 2 the procedure that is varied in order to estimate a variable's effect by comparison with a control condition wordnet
- 3 A state or quality.; A particular state of being. countable, uncountable
"Hypnosis is a peculiar condition of the nervous system."
- 4 information that should be kept in mind when making a decision wordnet
- 5 A state or quality.; The situation of a person or persons, particularly their social and/or economic class, rank. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"A man of his condition has no place to make requests."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 an assumption on which rests the validity or effect of something else wordnet
- 7 A state or quality.; The health status of a medical patient. countable, uncountable
"My aunt couldn’t walk up the stairs in her condition."
- 8 (usually plural) a statement of what is required as part of an agreement wordnet
- 9 A state or quality.; The health status of a medical patient.; A certain abnormal state of health; a malady or sickness. countable, uncountable
- 10 a mode of being or form of existence of a person or thing wordnet
- 11 A requirement. countable, uncountable
"Environmental protection is a condition for sustainability."
- 12 a state at a particular time wordnet
- 13 A logical clause or phrase that a conditional statement uses. The phrase can either be true or false. countable, uncountable
- 14 an illness, disease, or other medical problem wordnet
- 15 A clause in a contract or agreement indicating that a certain contingency may modify the principal obligation in some way. countable, uncountable
- 16 the state of (good) health (especially in the phrases ‘in condition’ or ‘in shape’ or ‘out of condition’ or ‘out of shape’) wordnet
Verb
- 1 To subject to the process of acclimation.
"I became conditioned to the absence of seasons in San Diego."
- 2 apply conditioner to in order to make smooth and shiny wordnet
- 3 To subject to different conditions, especially as an exercise.
"They were conditioning their shins in their karate class."
- 4 put into a better state wordnet
- 5 To make dependent on a condition to be fulfilled; to make conditional on.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement wordnet
- 7 To place conditions or limitations upon. transitive
"Yet seas that daily gain upon the shore / Have ebb and flow conditioning their march, / And slow and sure comes up the golden year."
- 8 develop (a child's or animal's) behavior by instruction and practice; especially to teach self-control wordnet
- 9 To shape the behaviour of someone to do something.
"The children were conditioned to speak up if they had any disagreements."
- 10 establish a conditioned response wordnet
- 11 To treat, especially hair with hair conditioner. transitive
"Experiments on steep inclines in the United States showed that washing the rails with a detergent to remove oil and grease resulted in a marked improvement; but conditioning the rails with a special neutralising chemical completely eliminated slipping on a bank on which it was so common as to necessitate restriction of trainloads."
- 12 To contract; to stipulate; to agree. transitive
"[P]ay me back my credit, / And I'll condition wi'ye."
- 13 To test or assay, as silk (to ascertain the proportion of moisture it contains). transitive
"divers parcel of silk conditioned or assayed"
- 14 To put under conditions; to require to pass a new examination or to make up a specified study, as a condition of remaining in one's class or in college. US, transitive
"to condition a student who has failed in some branch of study"
- 15 To impose upon an object those relations or conditions without which knowledge and thought are alleged to be impossible.
""To think is thus to condition," because it is to know this or that object, and this or that object in a particular mode or condition."
Antonyms
Example
"I accept, but only under one condition."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "condition"?
Common synonyms include: precondition, shape, status, stipulation, term, abate.
How do you use "condition" in a sentence?
I accept, but only under one condition.
How do you pronounce "condition"?
Pronounced /kənˈdɪʃ(ə)n/.
Etymology
From Middle English condicioun, from Old French condicion (French condition), from Latin condicio. Unetymological change in spelling due to confusion with conditio.