Antonyms for circumstance
| Grammar : Noun |
| Spell : sur-kuhm-stans or, esp. British, -stuhns |
| Phonetic Transcription : ˈsɜr kəmˌstæns or, esp. British, -stəns |
Definition of circumstance
Origin :- early 13c., "conditions surrounding and accompanying an event," from Old French circonstance "circumstance, situation," also literally, "outskirts" (13c., Modern French circonstance), from Latin circumstantia "surrounding condition," neuter plural of circumstans (genitive circumstantis), present participle of circumstare "stand around, surround, encompass, occupy, take possession of" from circum "around" (see circum-) + stare "to stand" from PIE root *sta- "to stand" (see stet). The Latin word is a loan-translation of Greek peristasis.
- Meaning "a person's surroundings, environment" is from mid-14c. Meaning "a detail" is from c.1300; sense of "that which is non-essential" is from 1590s. Obsolete sense of "formality about an important event" (late 14c.) lingers in Shakespeare's phrase pomp and circumstance ("Othello" III, iii).
- noun situation, condition
- The good woman, although low in circumstance, is great in mind!
- Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
- He must get the dominion over circumstance, or circumstance must get the dominion over him.
- Extract from : « The Conquest of Fear » by Basil King
- On them it is forced from without, by sheer pressure of circumstance.
- Extract from : « The Conquest of Fear » by Basil King
- This boy had, so she would accept what the gods of time and circumstance provided.
- Extract from : « Her Father's Daughter » by Gene Stratton-Porter
- I afterwards fell in with Bradbury, who mentioned this circumstance to me.
- Extract from : « Ned Myers » by James Fenimore Cooper
- Only one other circumstance is mentioned in the history of the Shunammite.
- Extract from : « Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. I » by Francis Augustus Cox
- What a lesson of gratitude is taught in every scene and circumstance!
- Extract from : « Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II » by Francis Augustus Cox
- He saw, at a glance, that the circumstance might possibly be improved to further his own ends.
- Extract from : « The Last of the Mohicans » by James Fenimore Cooper
- There is still one circumstance, replied I, which you seem to have overlooked.
- Extract from : « An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding » by David Hume
- The curse of circumstance had humbled, but reconciled him to the dust.
- Extract from : « Leila, Complete » by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Synonyms for circumstance
- accident
- action
- adjunct
- affair
- article
- case
- cause
- coincidence
- concern
- contingency
- crisis
- destiny
- detail
- doom
- element
- episode
- event
- exigency
- fact
- factor
- fate
- feature
- fortuity
- go
- happening
- happenstance
- incident
- intervention
- item
- juncture
- kismet
- lot
- matter
- Moira
- occasion
- occurrence
- particular
- phase
- place
- point
- portion
- proviso
- respect
- scene
- status
- stipulation
- supervention
- thing
- time
- where it's at
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019