Synonyms of exigency

exigency

noun

ˈek-sə-jən(t)-sē 

as in crisis

a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action

the exigencies requiring snap decisions that traders on the stock exchange face every day

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crisis
• emergency
• situation
• crossroad(s)
• extremity
• head
• conjuncture
• juncture
• crunch
• crunch time
• flash point
• point of no return
• moment of truth
• boiling point
• breaking point
• zero hour
• clutch
• predicament
• possibility
• contingency
• tinderbox
• Dunkirk
• milestone
• climax
• condition
• happening
• impasse
• turning point
• corner
• landmark
• deadlock
• hot water
• pass
• pinch
• strait
• stalemate
• jam
• spot
• last ditch
• last minute
• hole
• fix
• eleventh hour
• scrape

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun exigency differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of exigency are contingency, crisis, emergency, juncture, pinch, straits, and strait. While all these words mean "a critical or crucial time or state of affairs," exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

provide for exigencies

When can contingency be used instead of exigency?

In some situations, the words contingency and exigency are roughly equivalent. However, contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

contingency plans

In what contexts can crisis take the place of exigency?

While in some cases nearly identical to exigency, crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

a crisis of confidence

When is emergency a more appropriate choice than exigency?

Although the words emergency and exigency have much in common, emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

Where would juncture be a reasonable alternative to exigency?

The words juncture and exigency are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

an important juncture in our country's history

How is pinch related to other words for exigency?

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 exigency?

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

in dire straits

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of exigency

Other neighbors were equally desperate, including Mohammad Izzo, 69, a school caretaker forced by the exigencies of war to become a groundskeeper for a makeshift cemetery at the campus located a short distance from Abdullah’s house. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026

For certain great artists, Meis believes, the creative act is a safe harbor where life’s pressures, exigencies, and calamities aren’t so much denied or resolved as reimagined as pictorial dramas. — Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026

The bill would declare a state of financial exigency for five years, or until the university’s finances are stable. — Kathryn Muchnick, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Mar. 2026

It will be encumbered neither by norms nor the exigencies that compel speech in a democratic society. — Casey Ryan Kelly, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026