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unconditional

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Etymology and origin of the English word unconditional

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1666
Ultimate origin
Latin condiciō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English conditional
English unconditional

Pronunciation

  • US: /ˌʌnkənˈdɪʃənəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + conditional.[2][3][4][5] conditional goes back through Middle English condicionel and Old French condicionel to Late Latin conditionalis, from condiciō (“agreement; situation”).[3][2] Earlier adjectives in the same sense were unconditioned (1630s) and unconditionate (1640s).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Not limited by conditions; absolute, unreserved: MWU's first known use is 1666;[6] the OED's first quotation is from Dryden's Annus Mirabilis (1667),[2] and Etymonline dates it to the 1660s.[3]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its meaning, "not subject to conditions; absolute".[2][6][7] Johnson (1755) defined it as "absolute; not limited by any terms" and quoted Dryden.[8] The military phrase unconditional surrender is recorded from 1730; in the United States it became associated with General Ulysses S. Grant at Fort Donelson in the Civil War, and the phrase, matching his initials, became a nickname for him.[3] In mathematics, an unconditional equality or inequality is one true for every value of its variables.[7]

Timeline

  • 1666 – first known use according to MWU.[6]
  • 1667 – not limited by conditions; absolute, in Dryden.[2]
  • 1730 – unconditional surrender.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not subject to any conditions or limits; absolute and complete: unconditional surrender, They offered her their unconditional support.[7][6][2]
  2. In mathematics, of an equality or inequality, true for all values of the variable.[7]

Word family

  • unconditionally
  • unconditionalness

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
Cite this entry

“Unconditional.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/unconditional. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·