Definition of JUNCTURE

Choose the Right Synonym for juncture

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

Did You Know?

Juncture has many relatives in English - and some of them are easy to spot, whereas others are not so obvious. Juncture derives from the Latin verb jungere (to join), which gave us not only join and junction but also conjugal (relating to marriage) and junta (a group of persons controlling a government). Jungere also has distant etymological connections to joust, jugular, juxtapose, yoga and yoke. The use of juncture in English dates back to the 14th century. Originally, the word meant "a place where two or more things are joined," but by the 17th century it could also be used of an important point in time or of a stage in a process or activity.

Examples of juncture in a Sentence

Negotiations between the countries reached a critical juncture. At this juncture it looks like they are going to get a divorce. the juncture of two rivers

Recent Examples on the Web

The move comes at a critical juncture for the president whose lawyers are in the midst of negotiations with Russia special counsel Robert Mueller over terms of a possible interview with Trump. — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, "Trump shakes up his legal defense team with John Dowd's resignation," 22 Mar. 2018 This unusually sudden transition came at sensitive junctures in Syria, where Trump has ordered a U.S. troop withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where a potential troop pullout looms amid continued Taliban violence. — Robert Burns, The Seattle Times, "New Pentagon chief makes global debut with status uncertain," 11 Feb. 2019 This all leaves Palantir, and Mr. Karp, at a familiar juncture in Silicon Valley. — Eliot Brown, WSJ, "Palantir Has a $20 Billion Valuation and a Bigger Problem: It Keeps Losing Money," 12 Nov. 2018 There's obviously no more knowledgeable or competent judge of what really happened at this most vital juncture of the 20th century than Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany. — Maggie Maloney, Town & Country, "Read Brian Mulroney's Moving Eulogy at George H.W. Bush's Funeral," 5 Dec. 2018 For a jumper to pop a season-best leap at this juncture of the season isn’t guaranteed. — Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Waukesha South's Armoni Brown soars past the competition in the jumps," 31 May 2018 And at some point, people should begin to wonder if placing big bets on male politicians at this particular juncture of history is a mite risky, all else being equal. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "The Democrats Need to Reckon With the Reckoning When Choosing Candidates," 8 May 2018 MetLife’s board waived its age policy indefinitely in 2016 in a strong show of support for the executive at a critical juncture for the company. — Leslie Scism, WSJ, "MetLife CEO Steven Kandarian to Retire in April," 8 Jan. 2019 The Wildkits are playing their best basketball at the season's most crucial juncture. — Steve Reaven, chicagotribune.com, "Ryan Bost's defense helps Evanston exceed expectations, reach state," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'juncture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.