Thesaurus

crisis

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of crisis

a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action

the governor responded swiftly and surely to the crisis

Synonyms of crisis

boiling point, breaking point, clutch, conjuncture, crossroad(s), crunch, crunch time, Dunkirk, emergency, exigency, extremity, flash point, head, juncture, tinderbox, zero hour

Words Related to crisis

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

Phrases Synonymous with crisis

moment of truth, point of no return

Synonym Discussion of crisis

juncture, exigency, emergency, contingency, pinch, strait (or straits) crisis mean a critical or crucial time or state of affairs. juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

- an important juncture in our country's history

exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

- provide for exigencies

emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

- the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

- contingency plans

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

- come through in a pinch

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

- in dire straits

crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

- a crisis of confidence

Learn More about crisis

See words that rhyme with crisis Dictionary: Definition of crisis Medical Dictionary: Definition of crisis Spanish Central: Translation of crisis Nglish: Translation of crisis for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of crisis for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crisis

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up crisis? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments

Thesaurus

crisis

Synonyms and Antonyms of crisis

Synonym Discussion of crisis

Learn More about crisis

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

writhe

We Added New Words to the Dictionary in April 2019

We Added New Words to the Dictionary in April 2019

Words from Greek and Latin Quiz

Trending: 'Surveillance': Same as Spying?

On Contractions of Multiple Words