situation

American  

[sich-oo-ey-shuhn] / ˌsɪtʃ uˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

• situations
  plural

1. manner of being situated; location or position with reference to environment.

   The situation of the house allowed for a beautiful view.

   Synonyms:

   site

2. a place or locality.

3. condition; case; plight.

   He is in a desperate situation.

4. the state of affairs; combination of circumstances.

   The present international situation is dangerous.

5. a position or post of employment; job.

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

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

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situation British  

/ ˌsɪtjʊˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. physical placement, esp with regard to the surroundings

2. 1. state of affairs; combination of circumstances

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

3. social or financial status, position, or circumstances

4. a position of employment; post

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situation Idioms  

1. see no-win situation.

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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

See state. See position.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• situational
  adjective
• situationally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• situations
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

situation situations

The situation is testing longstanding data that shows when people go electric, most stay electric.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

So, does Jessica have any tips for people in a similar situation?

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

“All current ticket holders for LA Jazz Festival events will be refunded in full within 30 days. We apologize deeply for this situation and vow to make this right over time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

This is a wild misreading of the situation.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

We didn’t have a real bathroom, an annoying situation my mom insisted on calling tradish.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Other financial advisers cautioned that everyone’s financial situations and retirement plans are different, so general rules of thumb don’t always apply.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

Eventually, a parenting coordinator texted Emily Moreno: “l’ve suggested you keep the bunny at your house . . . in a high conflict divorce these situations blow up.”

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026

As a stunt double, she is often put in dangerous situations that require extra focus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

"The Council also unanimously expresses its concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken without resorting to dialogue or to the institutional mechanisms established to address situations of this nature."

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

What was I to do in situations like this?

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Related Words

• case
• condition
• place
• plight
• position
• scene