situation

[sich-oo-ey-shuhn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR situation 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

Related formssit·u·a·tion·al, adjectivesit·u·a·tion·al·ly, adverb

Synonyms for situation

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR situation ON THESAURUS.COM

1. site. 4. See state. 5. See position.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for situational

specific, circumstantial, evidential, circumstanced, coincidental, contingent, environmental, provisional, inferential, incidental, situated, conditional

Examples from the Web for situational

Contemporary Examples of situational

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
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
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
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
The training, which was paid for by the school, included firearms and situational drills.
Missouri, Where Parents Are OK With Armed Teachers
Justin Green
April 15, 2013

Historical Examples of situational

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 situational

situation

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 Formssituational, adjective

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

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

Word Origin and History for situational

adj.

1903, from situation + -al. Related: Situationally. Situational ethics attested from 1969 (situation ethics first attested 1955).

situation

early 15c., "place, position, or location," from Middle French situation or directly from Medieval Latin situationem (nominative situatio) "a position, situation," noun of action from past participle stem of situare "to place, locate" (see situate). Meaning "state of affairs" is from 1710; meaning "employment post" is from 1803.

Idioms and Phrases with situational

situation

see no-win situation.