situation

noun

ˌsi-chə-ˈwā-shən How to pronounce situation (audio)
Definition of situationnext
1
as in deal
position with regard to conditions and circumstances the school's situation is improving with additional financial help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in position
an assignment at which one regularly works for pay there were the usual "situation wanted" postings in the local newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in level
the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement in earlier times people were unable to alter their situation in life, so if you were born a servant, you stayed a servant he was pleased with his situation among his peers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of situation Police said on Wednesday that the situation was under control and the curfew had been lifted after days of protests that intensified when an officer shot and wounded a woman on Friday. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Because their co-op is entangled in an unpredictable land-lease situation, the units sell for about half the cost of what’s typical for Brooklyn Heights. — Anne Kadet, Curbed, 14 Oct. 2026 Navigation is one situation where precise location makes much more sense. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for situation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for situation
  1. deal
  2. position
  3. level
  4. status
  5. job
  6. place
  7. story
  8. ranking
Noun
  • Creator deals unveiled at the market included Endemol Shine Brasil’s pact with Latino creator house Grupo Podpah.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Kelly Elizabeth Shea pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice in a plea deal Wednesday afternoon, and a judge sentenced her to a year of probation and community service.
    — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of deal
Noun
  • Maintaining command-and-control links matters when troops rely on aerial sensors to gather information beyond their immediate positions.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Also, the fact that planets in this arrangement slide along their orbit and swap positions means that their positions in that orbit change, which, in turn, changes the timing of the transits.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of position
Noun
  • At the end of September, leaders of several of the biggest AI companies went to the White House and signed an accord committing to internal risk controls, independent audits and board-level oversight of safety.
    — Giorgos Tsetis, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • But the posting of the media list signaled, at least on an organizational level, the trip was going ahead.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of level
Noun
  • Also exposed was information about student disabilities and student eligibility status for federal programs, such as those available to help students from low-income families.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Her status as a special envoy expired last month without renewal, and she has now been moved to another role.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of status
Noun
  • The protection of American jobs justified the chains of bondage, or so the argument went.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Was Sarandos courting Bloys for a top job at the streamer, perhaps to take the job then held by Bajaria?
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of job
Noun
  • Pierce and Kember were born in the same place on the same day, a lore-enhancing coincidence too stupid to make up.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • This tiny place lies 155 miles north of the Arctic Circle, beside Torneträsk, a 43-mile-long lake.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of place
Noun
  • After the boutique’s statement, Clarkson doubled down on her claims on her Instagram stories with photos featuring a price tag on the bird that contradicted the shop’s first statement.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Some economists, including researchers at the Minneapolis Fed, argue the data don’t tell such a clean story.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of story
Noun
  • In the overall teen ranking for spring ’25 and Fall ’25 and ’26 surveys, On maintained its seventh place ranking.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Some companies may have paid an application fee in order to be considered, but this payment does not impact a company's inclusion or ranking.
    — Time, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of ranking

Browse Nearby Words

situating
situation
situations
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Situation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/situation. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All