exigent
Americanadjective
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requiring immediate action or aid; urgent; pressing.
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requiring a great deal, or more than is reasonable.
adjective
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urgent; pressing
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exacting; demanding
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of exigent
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin exigent- (stem of exigēns ) (present participle of exigere to drive out, demand), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + -ig- (combining form of agere to drive) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
When you describe something as exigent, you are saying it requires attention: it can't be ignored. Exigent, which means "demanding attention," comes from the Latin for "driving out." If there's a runaway train driving straight at you, that's an exigent situation — not a good time to stop and write a poem. When circumstances become exigent, it's time to act. When exigent questions arise, an answer is necessary. You can also use exigent for a person who demands attention, usually by complaining. If you've ever worked as a waiter, you've surely dealt with an exigent customer.
Vocabulary lists containing exigent
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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GRE Verbal Reasoning, List 1
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Grade 12, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Exigent circumstances do not seem to include impending executions, prison conditions, or the right to vote.
From Slate • Aug. 13, 2021
He and Dustin Hoffman, his boss at IT firm Exigent Systems, discovered that the police were not the only ones who could peer through the eyes of the city’s cameras.
From Forbes • Aug. 11, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
