situation

[ sich-oo-ey-shuhn ]

/ ˌsɪtʃ uˈeɪ ʃən /

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR situation

1 site.

See synonyms for situation on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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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 FROM situation

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use situation in a sentence

The Terrapins faced the same situation during their preparation for the Ohio State game.
Maryland football is ‘committed to getting back,’ but timeline for return is unclear|Emily Giambalvo|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Recent progress toward a potential sale came after the minority owners lowered their asking price, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Washington Football Team minority owners have a deal to sell, but Daniel Snyder is blocking it|Will Hobson, Mark Maske, Liz Clarke|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
The situation is fluid, so it’d be good to keep in touch with your local school district for its latest policy.
Virginia’s coronavirus numbers are rising. Here’s what you need to know.|Antonio Olivo|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
So, if that situation comes up again or if that’s something we need him to do, we’ll be ready.
Washington is now down to its fourth option at left tackle: Right tackle Morgan Moses|Nicki Jhabvala|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

The Nationals are expected to cut ties with the Auburn Doubledays, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, who had been their short-season Class A affiliate in the New York-Penn League.
Nationals have a new Class AAA affiliate in Rochester Red Wings|Jesse Dougherty|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Deep, situational, and emotional jokes based on what is relevant and has a POINT!
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There is more here, however, than just DC-style situational loyalty.
Leon Panetta Is What’s Wrong With D.C.|Michael Cohen|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Currently, the team is working to understand which problems augmented reality can solve by using situational information.
Augmented Reality System Goes From Military to Market|Rose Eveleth|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Among Republicans and Democrats, however, situational ethics runs the show.
Why We Get the Police State We Deserve—and What We Can Do to Fix That|Nick Gillespie|June 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the predictable rush to the partisan ramparts leads to situational ethics rather than constructive action.
NSA Spying Shows Obama’s Machine Out of Control|John Avlon|June 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
An objective, realistic, and in-depth situational grasp will be essential to such an understanding.
Shock and Awe|Harlan K. Ullman
What shall we say then—that a mental image is a situational item only when the territory is occupied?
Territory in Bird Life|H. Eliot Howard

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

Derived forms of situation

situational, adjective

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

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.

situation

OTHER WORDS FOR situation

Origin of situation

synonym study for situation

OTHER WORDS FROM situation

Words related to situation

How to use situation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for situation

Derived forms of situation

usage for situation

Other Idioms and Phrases with situation