exigency

noun

ex·i·gen·cy ˈek-sə-jən(t)-sē

ig-ˈzi-jən(t)-

plural exigencies

Synonyms of exigency next

: that which is required in a particular situation

—usually used in plural

exceptionally quick in responding to the exigencies of modern warfare—

D. B. Ottaway

: the quality or state of being exigent

: a state of affairs that makes urgent demands

a leader must act in any sudden exigency

Choose the Right Synonym for exigency

juncture, exigency, emergency, contingency, pinch, strait (or straits) crisis mean a critical or crucial time or state of affairs.

juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

an important juncture in our country's history

exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

provide for exigencies

emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

contingency plans

pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency.

come through in a pinch

strait, now commonly straits, applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult.

in dire straits

crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

a crisis of confidence

Examples of exigency in a Sentence

the exigencies requiring snap decisions that traders on the stock exchange face every day

Recent Examples on the Web Horsepower and performance were sapped by the exigencies of two energy crises and tightening emissions regulations. —

Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 11 Aug. 2023 The exigencies of war, however, have turned the country into a kind of super lab of invention, attracting investment from vaunted business luminaries including former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt. —

Kostiantyn Khudov, Washington Post, 26 July 2023 In their younger years, both Toussaint and Napoléon espoused the egalitarian ideas of the European Enlightenment; once in power, the exigencies of their offices brought forth more autocratic impulses. —

Sudhir Hazareesingh, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2020 Pandemic exigencies spurred the greatest technological acceleration in history. —

Keith Ferrazzi, Forbes, 3 May 2023 Companies are often competing for them, instead of the other way around, and that, combined with the exigencies of the time they were born into, lends a certain empowerment. —

Britt Peterson, Washington Post, 16 June 2023 Downsized and in financial exigency in transition to closure, likely with some form of executorship and very public discussions around sale of assets, the end is not pretty. —

David Rosowsky, Forbes, 4 May 2023 The board first references the possibility of financial exigency. —

David Rosowsky, Forbes, 4 May 2023 The hope was that, after the exigencies of the state’s early years had been settled, the Basic Laws would eventually amount to a formal constitution. —

Joshua Leifer, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2023 See More

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