status quo

noun

-ˈkwō 

: the existing state of affairs

seeks to preserve the status quo

Synonyms

• normalcy
• normality

Examples of status quo in a Sentence

He is content with the status quo and does not like change.

civic leaders who are afraid to do anything that might change the town's status quo

Recent Examples on the Web

And many simply cannot fathom a return to the pre-COVID status quo, changing how companies approach their staffing needs. —Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2023

The Dutch parliamentary election last week offered the clearest evidence yet of the new status quo. —Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023

But the danger encoded in the polls is that enough voters might come to see Biden as embodying a stagnant status quo and Trump as the alternative to it, which feels a little too close for comfort to 2016. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2023

In particular, mediators must work closely with, and empower, local peace builders, absorbing local knowledge and involving key players in peace processes, which must no longer seek to perpetuate status quo power dynamics. —Emma Beals and Peter Salisbury, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2023

Lakers Without LeBron James, Lakers adjust to their new ‘status quo’ in win over Portland Nov. 12, 2023 Here are five takeaways from the Lakers’ 116-110 win over Portland on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena. —Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023

But to rights groups, that’s an unacceptable status quo. —Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2023

An uneasy status quo seemed to prevail: the PA governed the West Bank and Hamas governed Gaza. —Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023

The images of Hamas infiltrators slaughtering Israeli families and kidnapping children ended that status quo. —Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 15 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Latin, state in which

First Known Use

1719, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

status quo

noun

sta·​tus quo

ˌstāt-ə-ˈskwō,

ˌstat-

: the way things are now

chose to keep the status quo rather than make changes

Legal Definition

status quo

noun

-ˈkwō 

: the existing state of affairs

specifically : the last actual and uncontested state of affairs that preceded a controversy and that is to be preserved by preliminary injunction compare status quo ante

Etymology

Latin, state in which