- 1helping to cause something Alcohol is a contributory factor in 10% of all traffic accidents. Smoking is a contributory cause of many diseases. (British English) He was found guilty of contributory negligence (= that helped to cause an accident).
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- 2involving payments from the people who will benefit a contributory pension plan (= paid for by both employers and employees) contributory benefits (= ones that you make payments for) opposite noncontributory
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