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 Under normal circumstances, the depots collectively hold roughly 10,000 to 11,000 containers, according to Mohammad Ruhul Amin Sikder, secretary general of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depot Association. Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 30 June 2025 Judge Nina Wang said that despite the case only focusing on a single fraud charge, the circumstances and scale of Hallford's crime, as well as the emotional impact on the families, warranted the maximum sentence. Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025 That means every Tesla will be able to drive itself under all circumstances anywhere in the world. Robert Ferris,katie Tarasov, CNBC, 27 June 2025 He was reportedly last seen leaving the house, but the circumstances surrounding his death were unclear. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 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
  • This sequence of events prompted many fans and pundits to speculate about potential conspiracy theories about how and why Dallas got the pick despite having such low odds for it.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • Those who wanted more choices would be out of luck.
    Andrew Yang, MSNBC Newsweek, 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
  • Meanwhile…things haven’t looked so good for Starbucks in China recently, and not just because its baristas can’t spell names in Chinese characters, either.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 2 July 2025
  • The downside is that each method has a potential reaction from the AGI or ASI that could turn things ugly.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 2 July 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
  • Qantas Airlines, Australia’s flagship carrier, reported Wednesday that a cyber incident had occurred Monday in one of its contact centers that exposed data for as many as 6 million customers.
    Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • All the incidents became the talk of the sports world for a few days.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Circumstance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumstance. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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