Synonym Chooser

How is the word circumstance distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of circumstance are episode, event, incident, and occurrence. While all these words mean "something that happens or takes place," circumstance implies a specific detail attending an action or event as part of its setting or background.

couldn't recall the exact circumstances

When could episode be used to replace circumstance?

The words episode and circumstance can be used in similar contexts, but episode stresses the distinctiveness or apartness of an incident.

a brief romantic episode in a life devoted to work

When might event be a better fit than circumstance?

The meanings of event and circumstance largely overlap; however, event usually implies an occurrence of some importance and frequently one having antecedent cause.

the events following the assassination

When can incident be used instead of circumstance?

While the synonyms incident and circumstance are close in meaning, incident suggests an occurrence of brief duration or secondary importance.

a minor wartime incident

When would occurrence be a good substitute for circumstance?

Although the words occurrence and circumstance have much in common, occurrence may apply to a happening without intent, volition, or plan.

an encounter that was a chance occurrence

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of circumstance On Thursday, health authorities in Gaza said 12 people were killed near one of the foundation’s aid distribution centers, a relatively low toll in a week that saw 59 killed in similar circumstances on Tuesday. Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025 Certain individuals may continue to receive non-digital payments under specific circumstances, including a lack of access to banking or electronic services, emergencies creating undue hardship, or special law enforcement and national security needs. Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025 The circumstances are such that Rosado — whom Suarez supported in his special election earlier this month — voted to give himself an extra year in office during his first meeting as a Miami city commissioner. Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 18 June 2025 These stories document how a community presented with a set of circumstances threatening their very existence built a self-sustaining organization to advocate for and provide care to each other outside institutional support. Eden Lowinger, The Conversation, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumstance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumstance
Noun
  • The United States should do more to empower Iranians to determine their destiny.
    Felice Friedson, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
  • Goldwater wouldn’t manifest that destiny, but Reagan, 16 years later, took this vision of fiscal conservatism to the White House.
    Drew Kurlowski, The Conversation, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • His mother Scarlett and brother Lance flew in for the event to watch Wactor on screen one more time.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 26 June 2025
  • If there was any doubt that Cooper Flagg would be the first player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, it was dispelled within minutes of the event kicking off.
    Justin Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • Those who wanted more choices would be out of luck.
    Andrew Yang, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
  • Many of the common complaints with dating apps include just feeling like a number, a lack of luck in finding the right match, and fewer opportunities to meet a partner in real life.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • Vegas went 50-22 last season, but ultimately had the same fate as Toronto, losing in the second round.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025
  • The brutalist federal buildings that have blighted Washington, D.C., for decades deserve the same fate as Carthage after the Third Punic War, and the nation’s capital is finally beginning to move on from these concrete monstrosities.
    Rich Lowry, National Review, 29 June 2025
Noun
  • Miranda is so full of possibility and adventure and what’s going to come next, and Ada is trying so hard to be that way and to fill the deep well of her sadness and her loneliness and her bereavement with things like the Temperance movement.
    Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 23 June 2025
  • And yet, the new facility that bears his family name shows that private donations can help make things happen alongside government investment.
    Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • There is a chance Bailey could morph into a playmaker and star-level difference-maker on the wing.
    Mike Vorkunov, New York Times, 26 June 2025
  • Cuomo called him to concede the primary, dimming the chance that the former governor would also run in November as an independent.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • The incident occurred on the stroke of full time at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte as Rudiger and Cabral had tussled in the Pachuca penalty area, and the Madrid defender went to ground holding his face.
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 22 June 2025
  • The incident's central command constantly receives progress reports from firefighters on the ground.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • Domino Effect Prevention The domino effect prevention model suggests accidents result from interconnected events, each like a falling domino that sets off the next.
    Aleksandr Yampolskiy, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • Reports soon emerged indicating Marte was in tears because of a fan yelling something to him about his late mother, who died in a car accident in 2017.
    Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circumstance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumstance. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on circumstance

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!