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Contingency vs Likelihood - What's the difference?

contingency | likelihood |

As nouns the difference between contingency and likelihood

is that contingency is (uncountable) the quality of being contingent, of happening by chance; unpredictability while likelihood is the probability of a specified outcome; the chance of something happening; probability; the state of being probable.

contingency

Noun

  • (uncountable) The quality of being contingent, of happening by chance; unpredictability.
  • (countable) A possibility; something which may or may not happen. A chance occurrence, especially in finance, unexpected expenses.
  • (countable) An amount of money which a party to a contract has to pay to the other party (usually the supplier of a major project to the client) if he or she does not fulfill the contract according to the specification.
  • (logic, countable) A statement which is neither a tautology nor a contradiction.
  • Synonyms

    * (quality of happening by chance) possibility * See also

    Antonyms

    * (quality of happening by chance) inevitability, impossibility

    Coordinate terms

    * (statement which is neither a tautology nor a contradiction) contradiction, tautology

    Derived terms

    * contingency plan

    likelihood

    English

    Noun

    (Likelihood function)
  • The probability of a specified outcome; the chance of something happening; probability; the state of being probable.
  • In all likelihood the meeting will be cancelled.
    The likelihood is that the inflation rate will continue to rise.
  • (statistics) The probability that some fixed outcome was generated by a random distribution with a specific parameter.
  • Likeness, resemblance.
  • "There is no likelihood between pure light and black darkness, or between righteousness and reprobation." (Sir W. Raleigh)
  • (archaic) Appearance, show, sign, expression.
  • "What of his heart perceive you in his face by any likelihood he showed to-day ?" (Shak)

    Synonyms

    * likeliness * odds

    Antonyms

    * unlikelihood