Definition

1. Noun:
   • A fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action: "Circumstance" refers to a specific detail, factor, or condition that influences a situation.
   • A person's financial or material situation: "Circumstance" can describe the conditions of someone's life, particularly regarding wealth or resources.
   • Formal, ceremonious procedure: In a formal context, "circumstance" can refer to the detailed ceremony or ritual accompanying an important event.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The police considered every circumstance before making an arrest. (The police considered every relevant fact or condition.)
  • They grew up in difficult financial circumstances. (They grew up in a poor material situation.)
  • The coronation was conducted with great pomp and circumstance. (The coronation was carried out with elaborate ceremony.)

Advanced Usage

• "Under no circumstances": Never; not for any reason.
  • Under no circumstances should you open that door.
• "In/under the circumstances": Given the specific conditions of the situation.
  • In the circumstances, I think we should postpone the meeting.
• "A mere circumstance": An insignificant detail.
  • That objection is a mere circumstance and does not affect the main argument.

Variants and Related Words

• Circumstantial (adj): Referring to details or evidence that is based on circumstances rather than direct proof.
  • The case against him was purely circumstantial.
• Circumstantiate (verb): To describe or support a statement with detailed facts.
  • The report failed to circumstantiate its main claims.

Synonyms

• Condition: A state of affairs or situation.
• Factor: An element that contributes to a result.
• Situation: A set of circumstances in which one finds oneself.

Related Phrases

• "Circumstances alter cases": (Proverb) The appropriate action depends on the specific situation; one rule does not fit all situations.
  • We must be flexible; circumstances alter cases.
• "Pomp and circumstance": A phrase describing a formal, grand, and ceremonious occasion.
  • The graduation ceremony was full of pomp and circumstance.

Idioms

• "Not a circumstance to": (Chiefly US, informal) Not comparable to; not nearly as good as.
  • His new car isn't a circumstance to his old one.
• "To be behindhand in one's circumstances": (Archaic) To be in financial difficulty.
  • After the business failed, he found himself behindhand in his circumstances.

Noun

1. formal ceremony about important occasions
   • pomp and circumstance
2. information that should be kept in mind when making a decision
   • another consideration is the time it would take
3. the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event
   • the historical context
4. a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity