situation
/ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.09 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs.
noun
The way in which something is positioned vis-à-vis its surroundings.
noun
Position or status with regard to conditions and circumstances.
noun
A difficult or unpleasant set of circumstances; a problem.
Example Sentences
- "The United States is in an awkward situation with debt default looming."
- "Then we relapsed into a discomfited silence, and wished we were anywhere else. But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud, and with such a hearty enjoyment that instead of getting angry and more mortified we began to laugh ourselves, and instantly felt better."
- "By 29, my financial situation wasn’t just disorganized, it was untenable. I didn’t have enough money to cover a single unexpected expense, and my credit card balance wasn’t going down; the interest was outpacing me."
- "The Botanical Gardens are in a delightful situation on the river bank."
- "[…]he being naturally an underground animal by birth and breeding, the situation of Badger's house exactly suited him and made him feel at home; while the Rat, who slept every night in a bedroom the windows of which opened on a breezy river, naturally felt the atmosphere still and oppressive."
- "[…] one of the most pleasant situations in America. With the exception of one melancholy season, no town in the union, of its size, has had a greater share of the inestimable blessing of health."
Etymology
From Middle English situacioun, situacion, from Middle French situation, from Medieval Latin situatio (“position, situation”), from situare (“to locate, place”), from Latin situs (“a site”). By surface analysis, situate + -ion.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: situacioun, situation, situatio
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/
- British English: /ˌsɪt.juːˈeɪ.ʃən/