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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

circumstance.

Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event.

12 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈsɜːkəmst(ə)ns/New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation/-ɑːns/New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation/-æns/New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation/ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/General-American

  1. Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event.

    countable · uncountable
    The report should focus on to the current circumstances of the organisation, to help us find a way to grow in the future.
    She went missing in somewhat spooky circumstances.

  2. An event; a fact; a particular incident, occurrence, or condition (status).

    countable · uncountable

  3. Evasive or indirect language; circumlocution.

    archaic · countable · uncountable

  4. Condition in regard to worldly estate; state of property; situation; surroundings.

    countable · uncountable
    She was born into comfortable circumstances.
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der. Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos)bor. Latin circus Latin circum Latin circum- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *sth₂éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *staējō Proto-Italic *staēō Latin stō Latin circumstō Latin circumstāns Latin circumstāntiaslbor. Old French circonstanceder. Middle English circumstaunce English circumstance From Middle English circumstaunce, from Old French circonstance, from Latin circumstantia.

verb/ˈsɜːkəmst(ə)ns/New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation/-ɑːns/New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation/-æns/New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation/ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/General-American

  1. To place in a particular situation, especially with regard to money or other resources.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der. Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos)bor. Latin circus Latin circum Latin circum- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti Proto-Indo-European *sth₂éh₁yeti Proto-Italic *staējō Proto-Italic *staēō Latin stō Latin circumstō Latin circumstāns Latin circumstāntiaslbor. Old French circonstanceder. Middle English circumstaunce English circumstance From Middle English circumstaunce, from Old French circonstance, from Latin circumstantia.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.