situation
Americannoun
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situations
plural
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manner of being situated; location or position with reference to environment.
The situation of the house allowed for a beautiful view.
- Synonyms:
- site
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a place or locality.
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condition; case; plight.
He is in a desperate situation.
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the state of affairs; combination of circumstances.
The present international situation is dangerous.
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a position or post of employment; job.
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a state of affairs of special or critical significance in the course of a play, novel, etc.
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Sociology. the aggregate of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors acting on an individual or group to condition behavioral patterns.
noun
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physical placement, esp with regard to the surroundings
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state of affairs; combination of circumstances
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a complex or critical state of affairs in a novel, play, etc
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social or financial status, position, or circumstances
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a position of employment; post
Usage
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
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of situation
First recorded in 1480–90, situation is from the Medieval Latin word situātiōn- (stem of situātiō ). See situate, -ion
Explanation
Situation is related to the verb "situate," which means to place. A building might be situated on the top of a hill — that's its position or situation. You've probably heard the term "sitcom," but may not realize it is short for "situation comedy," or a comedy where the humor is based on a set of quirky circumstances the characters find themselves placed in. A situation can also mean a set of circumstances that you find yourself placed in: holding both halves of a crazy aunt's broken vase could be a sticky situation — perfect for a situation comedy.
Vocabulary lists containing situation
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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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.
See Examples For:
"The idea of the 'pilot zones' seems to be dead until the context changes," a European diplomat familiar with the situation told me.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
"This makes it the quickest for DNB to deploy in a crisis situation," said the bank in a statement.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
The situation becomes much more complicated once the spacecraft reaches relativistic velocities.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
“It’s not his fault. It’s Durk’s fault. Durk put us in the situation, not him,” Hester testified.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
But suddenly, he wasn’t in an emergency situation anymore.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
In these situations, two ships are essentially teaming up to move crude out of the Persian Gulf.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
The researchers developed a theoretical framework showing that many situations described as a "quantum superposition of gravity" can also be interpreted in a very different way.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
He said he, along with Mette-Marit and Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, would "always strive to understand the life situations of different people".
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Then there’s freshman linebacker Aydan Steen, who contributed two huge tackles in the second half in critical situations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
I’d spent my young life seeking approval, dutifully collecting gold stars and avoiding messy social situations.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
