situation

[ sich-oo-ey-shuhn ]

See synonyms for: situation situations situational on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

condition; case; plight: He is in a desperate situation.
the state of affairs; combination of circumstances: The present international situation is dangerous.
a position or post of employment; job.
a state of affairs of special or critical significance in the course of a play, novel, etc.
Sociology. the aggregate of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors acting on an individual or group to condition behavioral patterns.

Origin of situation

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

site

See synonyms for situation on Thesaurus.com

Other words from situation

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

Words Nearby situation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use situation in a sentence

I believe this is likely what is happening with a data rights and ownership situation between Google and advertisers.
This decade’s most important marketing question: What data rights do advertisers possess? | Kirk Williams | September 17, 2020 | Search Engine Land
Both Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, the school board member who represents the area, and Barrera acknowledged the school did not handle the situation well.
Morning Report: Lincoln Abruptly Canceled AP Class | Voice of San Diego | September 17, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
To anyone who lives here, or anyone who’s watching, the situation is maddening and seems utterly unsustainable.
Suppressing fires has failed. Here’s what California needs to do instead. | James Temple | September 17, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
That’s certainly a situation that no one wants to be put in.
Podcast: COVID-19 is helping turn Brazil into a surveillance state | Anthony Green | September 16, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Other situations could give a magnetar a halo of electrons, but protons would come only from the magnetar itself.
Neutrinos could reveal how fast radio bursts are launched | Lisa Grossman | September 16, 2020 | Science News

Her slight miscalculation of how to fix the situation leads to her driving around the gas pump.
Slow Motion Tiger Jump, a Tornado at the Rose Bowl and More Viral Videos | The Daily Beast Video | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
When the problem is already political, when the intolerable situation is the status quo?
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism | Arthur Chu | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The girls send a cry for help…the situation of these girls is distressing.
Jihadis Release New Year’s Eve Video of Italian Female Hostages | Jamie Dettmer, Barbie Latza Nadeau | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Among whites, the situation is also bad — in some ways, even worse.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters | James Poulos | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
She had no say in it, but now is being forced to deal with an already challenging situation in front of strangers.
Public Marriage Proposals Must Die | Tauriq Moosa | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We should have to admit that the new law does little or nothing to relieve such a situation.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur Phillips
In this situation we waited the motion of the enemy, without perceiving any advancement they made towards us.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801) | Daniel Defoe
He could not bear to open his dreadful situation to his Uncle David, nor to kill himself, nor to defy the vengeance of Longcluse.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
He saw that the situation was worse than even he had bargained for, and all his irresolution began to return upon him.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry Wood
And this fact seemed pregnant with evidence as to Gordon's state of mind; it did not appear to simplify the situation.
Confidence | Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for situation

situation

/ (ˌsɪtjʊˈeɪʃən) /

noun

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

social or financial status, position, or circumstances
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.

Browse