situation

[ sich-oo-ey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for: situationsituationssituational on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. manner of being situated; location or position with reference to environment: The situation of the house allowed for a beautiful view.

  2. a place or locality.

  1. condition; case; plight: He is in a desperate situation.

  2. the state of affairs; combination of circumstances: The present international situation is dangerous.

  3. a position or post of employment; job.

  4. a state of affairs of special or critical significance in the course of a play, novel, etc.

  5. Sociology. the aggregate of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors acting on an individual or group to condition behavioral patterns.

Origin of situation

1
First recorded in 1480–90, situation is from the Medieval Latin word situātiōn- (stem of situātiō). See situate, -ion

synonym study For situation

4. See state. 5. See position.

Other words for situation

Other words from situation

  • sit·u·a·tion·al, adjective
  • sit·u·a·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use situation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for situation

situation

/ (ˌsɪtjʊˈeɪʃən) /


noun
  1. physical placement, esp with regard to the surroundings

    • state of affairs; combination of circumstances

    • a complex or critical state of affairs in a novel, play, etc

  1. social or financial status, position, or circumstances

  2. a position of employment; post

usage For situation

Situation is often used in contexts in which it is redundant or imprecise. Typical examples are: the company is in a crisis situation or people in a job situation. In the first example, situation does not add to the meaning and should be omitted. In the second example, it would be clearer and more concise to substitute a phrase such as people at work

Derived forms of situation

  • situational, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with situation

situation

see no-win situation.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.