situation

Noun
  1. The general state of things;
    The combination of circumstances at a given time (synset 113950416)
    "the present international situation is dangerous"; "wondered how such a state of affairs had come about"; "eternal truths will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for every new social situation"
    is a type of: state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes
    subtypes:
    • absurd, the absurd - a situation in which life seems irrational and meaningless
    • acceptance - the state of being acceptable and accepted
    • ballgame, new ballgame - a particular situation that is radically different from the preceding situation
    • challenge - a demanding or stimulating situation
    • childlessness - the condition of being without offspring
    • complication - a situation or condition that is complex or confused
    • crowding - a situation in which people or things are crowded together
    • disequilibrium - loss of equilibrium attributable to an unstable situation in which some forces outweigh others
    • element - the situation in which you are happiest and most effective
    • environment - the totality of surrounding conditions
    • equilibrium - a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
    • exclusion - the state of being excluded
    • fish bowl, fishbowl, goldfish bowl - a state of affairs in which you have no privacy
    • hotbed - a situation that is ideal for rapid development (especially of something bad)
    • inclusion - the state of being included
    • intestacy - the situation of being or dying without a legally valid will
    • picture, scene - a situation treated as an observable object
    • prison, prison house - a prisonlike situation; a place of seeming confinement
    • rejection - the state of being rejected
    • size, size of it - the actual state of affairs
    • square one - the situation in which you begin an endeavor and to which you return if your efforts fail
    • status quo - the existing state of affairs
    • thing - a special situation
    same as: state of affairs
  2. A condition or position in which you find yourself (synset 113948785)
    "the unpleasant situation (or position) of having to choose between two evils"; "found herself in a very fortunate situation"
    is a type of: condition, status - a state at a particular time
    subtypes:
    • place, shoes - a particular situation
    • poverty trap - a situation in which an increase in income results in a loss of benefits so that you are no better off
    • soup - an unfortunate situation
    • stymie, stymy - a situation in golf where an opponent's ball blocks the line between your ball and the hole
    same as: position
  3. A complex or critical or unusual difficulty (synset 114434647)
    "the dangerous situation developed suddenly"; "that's quite a situation"; "no human situation is simple"
    is a type of: difficulty - a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome
    subtypes:
    • conflict of interest - a situation in which a public official's decisions are influenced by the official's personal interests
    • crisis - an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
    • crunch - a critical situation that arises because of a shortage (as a shortage of time or money or resources)
    • hornet's nest, hornets' nest - a highly contentious or hazardous situation
    • hot potato - a difficult situation
    • how-d'ye-do, how-do-you-do - an awkward situation
    • embroilment, imbroglio - an intricate and confusing interpersonal or political situation
    • mexican standoff - a situation in which no one can emerge as a clear winner
    • incubus, nightmare - a situation resembling a terrifying dream
    • no-win situation - a situation in which a favorable outcome is impossible; you are bound to lose whatever you do
    • pass, strait, straits - a bad or difficult situation or state of affairs
    • purgatory - a temporary condition of torment or suffering
    • swamp - a situation fraught with difficulties and imponderables
    • ticking bomb, time bomb - a problematic situation that will eventually become dangerous if not addressed
    • tinderbox - a dangerous state of affairs; a situation that is a potential source of violence
    • urgency - an urgent situation calling for prompt action
    • dead end, deadlock, impasse, stalemate, standstill - a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
    • quicksand - a treacherous situation that tends to entrap and destroy
  4. Physical position in relation to the surroundings (synset 108640525)
    "the sites are determined by highly specific sequences of nucleotides"
    is a type of: place, position - the particular portion of space occupied by something
    subtypes:
    • active site - the part of an enzyme or antibody where the chemical reaction occurs
    • close quarters - a situation of being uncomfortably close to someone or something
    • locus - the specific site of a particular gene on its chromosome
    • locus of infection - the specific site in the body where an infection originates
    • restriction site - the specific sites at which a restriction enzyme will cleave DNA
    • antigenic determinant, determinant, epitope - the site on the surface of an antigen molecule to which an antibody attaches itself
    same as: site
  5. A job in an organization (synset 100587299)
    "he occupied a post in the treasury"
    is a type of: business, job, line, line of work, occupation - the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
    subtypes:
    same as: berth, billet, office, place, position, post, spot

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