exigent

adjective

ex·​i·​gent ˈek-sə-jənt How to pronounce exigent (audio)
1
: requiring immediate aid or action
exigent circumstances
2
: requiring or calling for much : demanding
an exigent client
exigently adverb

Did you know?

Exigent is a formal word with meanings closely tied to its Latin forbear, exigere, meaning "to demand." Exigent things and people demand attention—for example, an exigent client expects so much that they are hard to satisfy, and exigent circumstances are so significant that they can be used to justify certain police actions without the warrant typically required. Before exigent joined the language in the early 1600s, the noun exigency was being used to refer to something that is necessary in a particular situation—for example, the exigencies of an emergency situation might require that certain usual precautions be ignored. That word dates to the late 1500s, but even earlier, in the mid-1400s, exigence was on the scene doing the same job. All three words—exigent, exigency, and exigence—continue to meet the demands of English users, albeit not frequently in everyday conversation.

Examples of exigent in a Sentence

started his workday with a flood of exigent matters that required his quick decision
Recent Examples on the Web Faced with such exigent realities, Roosevelt and his advisers decided to tolerate the continuing burden of federal excise levies. Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Most of the time when the FBI needs to tap it for communications or information involving Americans, the circumstances are exigent and the purpose is to protect those and other Americans — who may be the targets of, for example, cyber or terror threats. The Editors, National Review, 12 Dec. 2023 For one of Oregon’s most prolific playwrights, and a crackerjack interpreter of exigent issues, this is a disappointing dabble in the wrong direction. oregonlive, 16 May 2023 The three exceptions to a public hearing prior to this were all either technical changes (ministerial or non-substantive) or based on time necessity (exigent circumstances). Jack Kelly and Matthew Defour, Journal Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2023 Based on that determination, rather than asking a judge to sign off on a search warrant for Clegg’s cellphone location data, police used an exigent circumstances protocol to ask Verizon for the information directly. Steven Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2023 But Clegg’s legal team, public defenders Maya Dominguez and Caroline Smith, argued that police acted illegally and lacked exigent circumstances to justify the data request. Steven Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 24 May 2023 Nonetheless, the first officer on the case decided his disappearance didn’t meet the criteria for exigent circumstances. Gina Barton, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2023 There are exceptions that allow law enforcement to enter a property without a search warrant, Ellis said, such as exigent circumstances, in which someone inside a home is in danger or could destroy evidence, but none of those would apply because the Saltville property wasn’t in Washington County. Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exigent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin exigent-, exigens, present participle of exigere to demand — more at exact

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of exigent was in 1624

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Dictionary Entries Near exigent

Cite this Entry

“Exigent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exigent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

exigent

adjective
ex·​i·​gent ˈek-sə-jənt How to pronounce exigent (audio)
: requiring immediate aid or action see also exigent circumstances
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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