situation

noun
sĭt-yo͞o-ā'shən

The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs.

Example

“The United States is in an awkward situation with debt default looming.”

Other meanings

The way in which something is positioned vis-à-vis its surroundings.
“The Botanical Gardens are in a delightful situation on the river bank.”
The place in which something is situated; a location.

Synonyms

state of affairs

Related words

resituation
shituation
situationist
situationless
situational
chicken-and-egg situation
clinical situation
in-basket situation
interesting situation
limit situation
situation room
situation theory

Example sentences

“Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.”
Tatoeba · Igider · CC0
“That's an interesting take on the situation.”
Tatoeba · ddnktr · CC0
“What would you say to someone else in your situation?”
Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0

Word history

From Medieval Latin "situatio" (position, situation).

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “situation” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.