material conditional

noun

A type of conditional statement used in formal logic and defined as true whenever its antecedent is false or its consequent is true, and false when its antecedent is true and its consequent is false.

“'A ⊃ B' represents a material conditional.”

Similar
conditionalif-then statementhorseshoe conditionalmaterial implicationPhilonian conditional
Opposite
strict implication
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Meanings

nounmaterial conditional (plural material conditionals)

plural material conditionals

  1. human sciencesA type of conditional statement used in formal logic and defined as true whenever its antecedent is false or its consequent is true, and false when its antecedent is true and its consequent is false.

    'A ⊃ B' represents a material conditional.

    Synonyms: conditional, if-then statement, horseshoe conditional, material implication, Philonian conditional · Antonyms: strict implication

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA type of conditional statement used in formal logic and defined as true whenever its antecedent is false or its consequent is true, and false when its antecedent is true and its consequent is false.

Similar
conditionalif-then statementhorseshoe conditionalmaterial implicationPhilonian conditional
Opposite
strict implication
Also see
conditionalhorseshoe conditionalif-then statementmaterial implicationphilonian conditional
Cite this entry
APA

material conditional. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/material%20conditional

MLA

“material conditional.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/material%20conditional. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “material conditional,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/material%20conditional.

Source: material conditional on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.