situation Hear it!

situation Definition

situa·tion (sic̸h′o̵̅o̅ ās̸hən)

noun

  1. manner in which a thing is situated in relation to its surroundings; location; position
  2. a place; locality
  3. position or condition with regard to circumstances
    1. the combination of circumstances at any given time
    2. a difficult or critical state of affairs
    3. any significant combination of circumstances developing in the course of a novel, play, etc.
    4. Psychol. the objective conditions immediately affecting an individual
  4. a position of employment

Etymology: LME setuacyon < ML situatio: see situate

situation Related Forms
sit′ua·tional adjective
situation Synonyms

situation

n.

  1. Circumstance

    condition, state, state of one's affairs; see circumstance 1, circumstances 2.

  2. A physical position

    location, site, spot; see place 3, position 1.

  3. A social position

    station, status, sphere; see rank 2, 3.

  4. An economic position

    position, employment, post; see job 1, profession 1, trade 2. See syn. study at job, state.

situation Usage Examples

Possessives

  • 'win-win: In business terms, this means keeping utility and waste bill s down, whilst improving environmental performance - a clear 'win-win ' situation.

Converse of object

  • rectify: I am trying to rectify the situation with a bulk cheap purchase.
  • remedy: After a series of calls were made to Bedfordshire County Council it promised to remedy the situation.
  • handle: Maybe those who manage Durham bus station could offer some advice for they seem to be handling a similar situation quite well.
  • clarify: GCSE - extra time and more Query: Can anyone clarify this situation for me?
  • resolve: It is difficult to see why anyone, other than dying victims, would wish to resolve this situation quickly.
  • explain: There they should report to the School Office to explain the situation; they can wait in the Mackenzie Room next to the Office.

Adjective modifier

  • current: Doing nothing except granting drought orders will just mean the current situation will continue to ride.
  • difficult: What has been the most difficult situation you have faced?
  • stressful: In stressful social situations the adult can react from a pre-verbal level of infancy.
  • similar: We do not believe that a similar situation exists within Fair Funding.
  • dangerous: On Sunday 16 April 1995, two boys were seen in a dangerous situation at the foot of the cliffs at Saltburn.
  • everyday: This package with levels Complete Beginner & Beginner will enable you to acquire the basics and learn to make yourself understood in everyday situations.

Modifies a noun

  • tooeach: Will usagencies make then decrease toward situations tooeach state managers you are.

Noun used with modifier

  • win-win: In fact, he made sure that every job he did resulted in a win-win situation.
  • emergency: There probably exist many other emergency situations in which your loved one would need a cell phone.
  • merger: The OFT therefore believes that it is or may be the case that a relevant merger situation has been created.
  • monopoly: We found that a monopoly situation exists in favor of the PRS.
  • real-world: Students will develop critical skills in assessing the impact of the business environment on real-world company situations.
  • redundancy: If a redundancy situation arises, she must be offered a suitable alternative vacancy if one is available.
situation Quotes

Great is the L, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.

—Bible (Old Testament)

The wind's in the east† I am always conscious of an uncomfortablesensationnowand thenwhenthewind is blowing in the east.

—Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam

I mean, after all; you have to consider that we're only made out of dust. That's admittedly not much to go on and we shouldn't forget that. But even considering, I mean, it's sort of a bad beginning, we're not doing too bad. So I personally have faith that even in this lousy situation we're faced with we can make it.You get me?

—Dick, Philip K(indred)

The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of thesituation evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception come true. The specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error.

—Merton, Robert King

Just occasionally you find yourself in an odd situation. You get into it bydegrees and inthemost natural way, but when you are right in the midst of it you are suddenly astonished and ask yourself how in the world it all came about. If, for example, you put to sea on a wooden raft with a parrot and five companions, it is inevitable that sooner or later you will wake up one morning out at sea, perhaps a little better rested than ordinarily, and begin to think about it.

—Heyerdahl,Thor

If this was adulthood, the only improvement she could detect inher situationwasthat nowshecould eat dessert without eating her vegetables.

—Alther, Lisa ne¤  e Reed

Subconsciously every one was, of course, fearful that he himself would go nutsöeveryone with the exception of those who had already gone nuts, who were in the wholly pleasant situation of having no fear.

—cummings, e e pen name of  Edward Estlin Cummings

What are men to rocks and mountains? Oh! what hours of transport we shall spend! And when we do return, it shall not be like other travellers, without being able to give one accurate idea of anything.We will know where we have goneöwe will recollect what we have seen. Lakes, mountains, and rivers, shall not be jumbled together in our imaginations; nor, when we attempt to describe any particular scene, will we begin quarrelling about its relative situation.

—Austen,Jane

Anythin'for a quiet life, as the man said wen he took the sitivation at the lighthouse.

—Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam

Mon centre ce'  de, ma droite recule, situation excellente, j'attaque. My centre isgiving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking.

—Foch, Ferdinand

The healthiest situation in England, on Easthampstead Plain. Free run of Windsor Forest. TheTimes every morning. A double-barrelled gun and pointers, and leave to shoot three Wellington College boys a week (not more) in case black game was scarce.

—Kingsley, Charles

S'apercevoir que sa me'  re est vierge.öLes 36 situations dramatiques; trente-septie'  me situation. The thirty-seventh dramatic situation out of 36:To become aware that one's mother is a virgin.

—Jarry, Alfred

Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot's character; vanity of person and of situation.

—Austen,Jane

Browse dictionary entries near situation

  1. situated
  2. situate
  3. Sittwe
  4. sitting room
  5. sitting duck
  6. Sitting Bull
  7. sitting
  8. sitter
  9. sitten
  10. sitosterol
  1. situation comedy
  2. situation ethics
  3. situs
  4. Sitwell
  5. sitz bath
  6. sitzmark
  7. Siva
  8. Sivaism
  9. Sivan
  10. Sivas