1
as in destinies
a state or end that seemingly has been decided beforehand
the condemned murderer seemed indifferent to his circumstance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in things
something that happens
due to unexpected circumstances, the test will be postponed
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in luck
the uncertain course of events
I was a victim of circumstance, for nothing that I could have done would have made a difference
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 circumstances
The more concrete circumstances were no less auspicious.
—
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Under marginally different circumstances, in a world where Spurs won, the job might be done.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The circumstances surrounding the altercation remain unclear.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
Area One detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
Stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by challenging circumstances according to the World Health Organization.
—Helen Dennis, Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Tavish, who just moved to New Zealand from Los Angeles with his bride, is a gigolo whose three previous aging lovers died under mysterious circumstances.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
The company said the circumstances were similar to the Ohio case, where a load was subcontracted to another operator without the company's knowledge.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
Conversely, the Oilers had a businesslike finish to their campaign despite adverse circumstances, specifically the absences of Draisaitl and Hyman.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Under marginally different circumstances, in a world where Spurs won, the job might be done.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The circumstances surrounding the altercation remain unclear.
—Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 19 Apr. 2026
Area One detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
—Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
Stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by challenging circumstances according to the World Health Organization.
—Helen Dennis, Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026
Tavish, who just moved to New Zealand from Los Angeles with his bride, is a gigolo whose three previous aging lovers died under mysterious circumstances.
—Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
The company said the circumstances were similar to the Ohio case, where a load was subcontracted to another operator without the company's knowledge.
—Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026
Conversely, the Oilers had a businesslike finish to their campaign despite adverse circumstances, specifically the absences of Draisaitl and Hyman.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumstances
Noun
-
Twelve destinies searching for peace and belonging, while the house remains a haven through decades of turmoil.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
-
But Calle, like any writer, sketches her characters and frames their destinies.—
Elisa Wouk Almino
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Word was for writing things up.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
-
But if the Mets don’t start scoring some runs and cleaning things up, there won’t be any games again come October, and owner Steve Cohen, who is in attendence this week at Dodger Stadium, could take action.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And if the basketball gods were just, the Warriors would be provided a play-in loss — Wednesday or Friday, either will do — and lottery luck.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Rory McIlroy faded his tee shot into the pine straw, forcing a dramatic finish for his second consecutive Masters title, a final round that saw the Northern Irish golfer press his luck on the final few holes.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mantello has chosen to have different actors play the young Biff (Joaquin Consuelos) and the young Happy (Jake Termine), sharpening the contrast between their potential and their fates.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Dahl’s books are fanciful and imaginative, but also dark, cynical, and mean (and, unfortunately, often reflected his real-life ugliness), spinning stories in which gruesome and unpleasant fates befell rotten kids, and adults were frequently selfish, cruel, and not to be trusted.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The hospitality union represents roughly 2,000 workers at the arena, potentially disrupting one of the biggest sporting events in the world.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Season 3 transports us five years after the events of the second season, to a new stage in our protagonists’ lives.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His excellent size-speed combination, and aggressive downhill style creates disruption and turnover chances.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
While temperatures have been and will continue to trend warmer than average for the remainder of the month, there will still be a couple of cold mornings and even some snow chances.—
Ron Smiley,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In one of the incidents, the suspects displayed a black handgun, police said.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Months after federal immigration agents shot and killed two people and wounded a third in separate incidents during the ICE surge in Minneapolis, the status of the federal investigations into the three shootings remains an open question.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The committee will hold public hearings to learn what caused the collapse and how similar accidents can be avoided in the future.—
Tom Ignudo,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Key Considerations In most personal injury cases, such as those from car or truck accidents, there is no cap on non-economic (pain and suffering) damages.—
William Jones,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumstances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumstances. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
