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:
Samantha, who discovered she was pregnant at the start of January, says the situation has made everyday life "extremely difficult".
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Many Gen Z-ers say they expect their financial situation to improve over the next year, and about 42% expect to do better than their parents, according to an Urban Institute survey.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
“I didn’t think that would be a situation that we would be able to pull off, just based on kind of how we had that spot slotted.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The volatile supply situation has weighed on ordinary drivers, with prices and availability fluctuating at each petrol station across the country.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
He seemed at a loss for a moment as to how to deal with the situation.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
The recommendations also identify situations in which cardiovascular treatment needs to be adjusted for people with CKD.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
By that point, more than 1 billion robots could be deployed in a variety of situations, according to the firm.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
"It is important that the truth be established and that situations like this never happen again," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
"You feel guilty being there - going to the beach and having a good time, while these families are in such terrible situations," observes a woman with her young daughter.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Eliza kept her eyes straight ahead, as if she had been trained how to behave in these kinds of situations.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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.
