Contingent consists so much in the idea of what is uncertain, unforeseen and accidental, as it can also represent a specific group within a collectivity, depending on the context in which the word is used.
As an adjective, contingent qualifies something that may or may not happen, that is doubtful, and that happens casually or accidentally.
At philosophy, for example, events that occur unexpectedly are called contingent, that is, contingently – in a casual way.
As a noun, the word contingent takes on another type of interpretation, related to a grouping of individuals with particularities in common with each other.
For example, a police contingent it consists of a group of police officers highlighted for performing a specific activity, compared to the others.
O population contingent it is the same as the total number of inhabitants that live in a certain location, that is, the general population of a specific place, such as city, state, region, country and so on.
Example: "The Brazilian population contingent exceeded 200 million".
Among some of the main synonymous with contingent, stand out: casual; accidental; eventual; circumstantial; uncertain; unforeseen; unexpected; random; rare; grouping; set; collectivity and group.
On the other hand, the main antonyms are: right; expected; frequent; inexorable; foreseen; purposeful; safe; individual; unity; uniqueness and individuality.
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Overage
This expression is widely used in the military sphere to justify the dismissal of a citizen who presented himself for compulsory military service.
In this case, when all vacancies destined for military training are fully filled, the excess of contingent represents the excess number of people, that is, those who will be released from military service, for example.
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