status quo

noun

-ˈkwō 

: the existing state of affairs

seeks to preserve the status quo

The book became a guide for many restaurateurs fed up with the status quo.

—Ali Francis

In much of the world, people are dissatisfied with the status quo and eager to see changes for the better.

—The Christian Science Monitor

Synonyms of status quo

• 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

Later that night, in front of television cameras, Frey described what has become a surreal status quo for the city. —Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2026

The bigger question is whether significant investments will be made to change the long-standing status quo. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 21 Jan. 2026

Metternich’s Austria was a status quo power, interested only in protecting a conservative order against its liberal challengers. —Robert Kagan, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2026

But these tweaks have done nothing to adjust the overall status quo, which remains unchanged under executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin, state in which

First Known Use

1719, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for status quo

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

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