if and only if

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if and only if

/ɪf ən(d)ˈəʊn.li ɪf/ UK
/ɪf ən(d)ˈoʊn.li ɪf/ US

conjunction

Is equivalent to; implies and is implied by; is true and false in the same cases as. A rectangle is a square if and only if all four of its sides have the same length.
broadly, informal Synonym of if (with added intensity) I'll let you go to the concert if and only if you clean your room.
Similar: if

Translations

Every language

conj implies and is implied by

Español	si y sólo si
Português	se e somente se
Français	si et seulement si
Deutsch	genau dann, wenn, dann und nur dann, wenn
Italiano	se e solo se
Ελληνικά	αν και μόνο αν an kai móno an
Română	dacă și numai dacă
Русский	тогда́ и то́лько тогда́
Tiếng Việt	khi và chỉ khi, nếu và chỉ nếu
العربية	شَرْطَ أَنّ šarṭa ʔann, فَقَط إِذَا faqaṭ ʔiḏā, شَرِيطَةً أَنَّ šarīṭatan ʔanna, فَقَط فِي حَالَة faqaṭ fī ḥāla
עברית	אם ורק אם im ve-rak im

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MLA

"if and only if." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/if%20and%20only%20if. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

if and only if. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/if%20and%20only%20if

Chicago

"if and only if." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/if%20and%20only%20if.

BibTeX

@misc{if_and_only_if_2026,
  title = {if and only if},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/if%20and%20only%20if},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}