conjuncture

a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action an unfortunate conjuncture of events—peak demand at a time of reduced output from hurricane-ravished refineries—resulted in skyrocketing gas prices Synonyms boiling point, breaking point, clutch, emergency, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch, crunch time, Dunkirk, exigency, extremity, flash point, head, juncture, tinderbox, zero hourRelated Words contingency, possibility; climax, turning point; happening, landmark, milestone; condition, pass, situation, strait; deadlock, impasse, stalemate; corner, fix, hole, hot water, jam, last ditch, pinch, predicament, scrape, spot; eleventh hour, last minute