circumstance
/-æns/
It describes the external factors or environmental conditions that shape an event. It carries a sense of "context" or "surroundings," suggesting that an action cannot be fully understood without looking at the specific details surrounding it. In a legal or formal context, it often implies objectivity—the cold facts of a case. When used in the singular, it focuses on a specific detail; when plural, it refers to the overall situation. When referring to financial status (usually plural), it is a polite, slightly formal euphemism. Saying someone has "reduced circumstances" is a gentler way of saying they have become poor.
Countable when referring to a specific detail or fact surrounding an event ('a strange circumstance'). Uncountable (and usually plural) when referring to someone's overall financial standing or quality of life ('living in reduced circumstances').
💬Casual Conversation
David's trippin. He wants me to pull an all-nighter for this pitch.
Under what circumstance are you actually agreeing to that?
Meanings
Collocations & Compounds
extenuating circumstances
Factors that make a mistake or crime seem less serious or more understandable.
under no circumstances
Used to emphasize that something must not happen or be done.
mitigating circumstances
Conditions that provide a reason for a reduced penalty or punishment.
financial circumstances
The state of one's monetary resources and wealth.
circumstances surrounding
The specific details and conditions related to a particular event.
Idioms & Sayings
under no circumstances
Used to emphasize that something must not happen or be done
a victim of circumstance
Someone who has suffered because of events beyond their control
circumstances beyond one's control
Situations that a person cannot influence or change