Synonym Chooser

How does the noun crisis differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of crisis are contingency, emergency, exigency, juncture, pinch, straits, and strait. While all these words mean "a critical or crucial time or state of affairs," crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

a crisis of confidence

Where would contingency be a reasonable alternative to crisis?

The words contingency and crisis are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

contingency plans

When would emergency be a good substitute for crisis?

The meanings of emergency and crisis largely overlap; however, emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

When is it sensible to use exigency instead of crisis?

In some situations, the words exigency and crisis are roughly equivalent. However, exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

provide for exigencies

When is juncture a more appropriate choice than crisis?

Although the words juncture and crisis have much in common, juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

an important juncture in our country's history

How does the word pinch relate to other synonyms for crisis?

Pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency.

come through in a pinch

How are the words strait and straits related as synonyms of crisis?

Strait, now commonly straits, applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult.

in dire straits

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 crisis The campaign encourages parents to feel good about their feeding choices and raises awareness of the maternal mortality crisis in the United States. Sarah Scott, Parents, 15 Oct. 2025 The ever-growing urgency of the climate crisis yields a slow, sensory cinematic experience as Swiss artist Ludwig Berger memorializes the Morteratsch Glacier through recording the sound of it melting. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025 For agents who stay on the job, the diversions are driving a morale crisis that goes hand in hand with the drop in prosecutions. Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2025 For additional help, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline has professional crisis counselors available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in over 170 languages. Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for crisis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crisis
Noun
  • More than 200 people, fire engines and boats were involved in the massive emergency response effort underway on Monday morning.
    Chris Lau, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Update your emergency kit and be sure to include enough food and water to last for 3 days for each person in your home.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • No matter what situation arises, the player knows how to solve it.
    Joe Boylan, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Finally, enforcement can put an unnecessary policing burden on teachers or administrators, especially in situations in which a student’s gender identity is not immediately apparent from their appearance.
    Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Keith Pelley has had four months now to get a closer glimpse of the day-to-day operations of the Toronto Maple Leafs via close interactions with general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube.
    Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • But Netflix head Bela Bajaria didn’t seem into it.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Reichardt emphasizes the extremity of the action with a strikingly novel form of cinematic narrative that, in a more ordinary drama, might feel like a facile evasion.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Still others bore amputations after diabetes complications led to peripheral neuropathy, a condition that blunts sensation in the extremities.
    Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The other two, Troy Terry and Lukáš Dostál, both signed long deals (seven and five years, respectively) as RFAs without requiring a holdout, though both had the exigency of arbitration eligibility motivating a swifter resolution.
    Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The political exigencies that faced the American literary public were of a different set.
    Elaine L. Wang September 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • All of the fun toppings lend crunch and/or chew, along with all the spooky spirits any Halloween dessert needs.
    Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Teams usually give veterans a chance to get into the lineup, but the roster crunch is here now, and risking waivers on Lazar is probably an acceptable risk.
    Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crisis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crisis. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on crisis

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