- situation
- nounADJECTIVE▪ general, overall, whole▪ current, immediate, present▪ international, local, national, world▪ actual, concrete, real, real-life, real-world (esp. AmE)▪ hypothetical, unlikely▪ favourable/favorable, happy (esp. BrE), healthy, ideal▪ satisfactory (esp. BrE), stable▪ chaotic, explosive, fluid, precarious, unstable, volatile▪ awkward, delicate, difficult, embarrassing, problematic, sticky (informal), stressful, tense, tough (esp. AmE), tricky, uncomfortable, unfortunate, unpleasant▪
I always seem to get into sticky situations.
▪ dangerous, hazardous, life-threatening, perilous, risky, vulnerable▪ deteriorating, worsening▪ crisis, emergency, life-and-death, life-or-death▪ high-pressure, pressure▪I've been in some pressure situations when I had to hit a great shot or lose the game.
▪ alarming, critical, desperate, dire, grave, serious, terrible, tragic, unhappy (esp. BrE)▪ disgraceful (esp. BrE), intolerable, untenable▪ catch-22 (esp. BrE), hopeless, no-win▪We were placed in a hopeless situation.
▪ lose-lose, win-win▪ absurd, bizarre, compromising, extraordinary, ludicrous (esp. BrE), novel, odd, paradoxical, ridiculous, strange, unique, unusual▪ complex, complicated▪ simple▪ social▪Do you feel awkward in social situations?
▪ work▪ domestic▪ employment, housing▪ economic, financial, legal, military, political, security▪the international political situation
▪ strategic, tactical▪ combat, conflict, war▪ hostageVERB + SITUATION▪ bring about, create, lead to, result in▪ be faced with, be placed in, encounter, face, find yourself in, get into▪I found myself in rather an awkward situation.
▪ avoid▪ comprehend, grasp, take in, understand▪She found it difficult to take in the situation.
▪ analyse/analyze, appraise, assess, consider, discuss, evaluate, examine, judge, look at, monitor, ponder, review, size up, survey, take stock of, think about, weigh (esp. AmE), weigh up (esp. BrE)▪ clarify, describe, explain, outline, sum up▪ accept▪ address, be in control of, control, cope with, deal with, handle, respond to, take control of▪learning strategies to cope with difficult situations
▪ fit▪You can adapt your knowledge to fit your particular situation.
▪ ameliorate (formal), calm, defuse, ease, help, improve▪ correct, rectify, remedy, resolve, stabilize▪The peacekeepers are trained to defuse potentially explosive situations.
▪ salvage▪She tried her best to salvage the situation.
▪ exploit, manipulate, take advantage of▪He saw she was confused and he took full advantage of the situation.
▪ lose control of▪ affect, change, influence, transform▪ aggravate, complicate, compound, exacerbate, inflame (esp. BrE), worsen▪Interfering now would only exacerbate the situation.
▪ reverse▪What would the Republicans be doing if the situation were reversed?
SITUATION + VERB▪ arise, develop, occur, unfold▪We will deal with that if the situation arises.
▪ exist▪ continue, remain▪ change▪ deteriorate, escalate, worsen▪The situation is deteriorating rapidly.
▪ improve▪ stabilize▪ demand, require▪The situation requires immediate action.
SITUATION + NOUN▪ comedy (usually sitcom)▪TV's first modern situation comedy
PREPOSITION▪ in a/the situation▪What would you do in this situation?
PHRASES▪ the gravity of the situation, the seriousness of the situation▪Given the gravity of the situation, I'm not surprised she's panicking.
▪ the reality of the situation▪She was forced to confront the reality of the situation.
▪ a way out of the situation▪I was in trouble and I could see no way out of the situation.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
