situation

English

Alternative forms

• scituation (hyper‐correct, obsolete)

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”). Equivalent to situate +‎ -ion.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sĭt-yo͞o-ā'shən, sĭch-o͞o-ā'shən, IPA^(key): /sɪtjuːˈeɪʃən/, /sɪtʃuˈ(w)eɪʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

situation (plural situations)

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

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

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., OCLC 222716698:

     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.

   • State Of Affairs definition

     A specific situation; a set of circumstances.
2. The way in which something is positioned vis-à-vis its surroundings.

   The Botanical Gardens are in a delightful situation on the river bank.

   • 1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, OCLC 305520:

     […] 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.

3. The place in which something is situated; a location.
   • 1833, Thomas Hibbert and Robert Buist, The American Flower Garden Directory, page 142:

     [Hibíscus] speciòsus is the most splendid, and deserves a situation in every garden.

   • Location definition

     A particular point or place in physical space. (1 of 6 location definitions)
4. Position or status with regard to conditions and circumstances.

   • Status definition

     A person’s condition, position or standing relative to that of others. (1 of 7 status definitions)

   • Circumstance definition

     Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event. (1 of 4 circumstance definitions)
5. (UK) A position of employment; a post.
   • 1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol:

     ‘Let me hear another sound from you,’ said Scrooge, ‘and you’ll keep your Christmas by losing your situation!

   • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, Penguin 2006, page 78:

     When he was nineteen, he suddenly left the 'Co-op' office, and got a situation in Nottingham.

   • 1946, Vaughn Horton, Denver Darling, Milt Gabler, Choo Choo Ch'Boogie:

     You take a morning paper from the top of the stack

     And read the situations from the front to the back

     The only job that's open need a man with a knack

     So put it right back in the rack Jack.

   • Post definition

     A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground; a fencepost; a lightpost. (1 of 10 post definitions)
6. A difficult or unpleasant set of circumstances; a problem.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:difficult situation

   Boss, we've got a situation here…

   • Problem definition

     (1 of 9 problem definitions)
7. (US, film industry) An individual movie theater.
   • 1950, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means, Revenue Revision of 1950: Hearings Before the Committee (page 1805)

     This survey includes all key situations (including Paramount Gulf Theaters) as well as suburban runs and small-town situations.

   • 1960, Motion Picture Herald (volumes 218-219, page 14)

     […] Craterian theatre, with a full-scale advance campaign and preliminary screenings held for opinion-makers. Results and reactions will be closely studied and, if popular, the idea will be extended to other situations.

   • Movie Theater definition

     A building where movies are shown to an audience; a cinema.
8. (slang) An outfit, garment, or look.

   She is working some sort of amazing burgundy chiffon situation with gold piping.

   • Outfit definition

     A set of clothing (with accessories). (1 of 7 outfit definitions)

   • Garment definition

     A single item of clothing. (1 of 3 garment definitions)

   • Look definition

     To try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes. (1 of 17 look definitions)

Synonyms

• (combination of circumstances): condition, set up; see also Thesaurus:state

Related terms

• site
• situate
• situated
• situationism

Translations

See also

• situation comedy, sitcom

References

• Source for the definitions:
  • Dictionary.com. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. [1] (accessed: March 10, 2007).
• situation in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• situation in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• situation at OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• titanious

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French

Etymology

situer +‎ -ation

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si.tɥa.sjɔ̃/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

situation f (plural situations)

1. situation (all meanings)

   • Situation definition

     The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs. (1 of 8 situation definitions)

Derived terms

• comédie de situation
• comique de situation
• homme de la situation
• mise en situation
• situation intéressante

Descendants

• → Romanian: situație

Further reading

• “situation”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Interlingua

Noun

situation (plural situationes)

1. situation, state of affairs

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɪtvaˈɧuːn/, /sɪtɵaˈɧuːn/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

situation c

1. a situation

Declension

Declension of situation
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	situation	situationen	situationer	situationerna
Genitive	situations	situationens	situationers	situationernas

Synonyms

• läge

Related terms

• nödsituation
• situationskomik