circumstance B2 Topic:People & Society US /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ UK /ˈsɜːkəmst(ə)ns/ See IPA manual Freq #11540 Meanings 1 noun A fact or condition that affects a situation or event. Under the circumstances, we decided to cancel the trip. 2 noun The conditions of a person's life, especially their money and surroundings. She was born into comfortable circumstances. 3 noun Formal ceremony surrounding an important occasion. The graduation was full of pomp and circumstance. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a fact or condition that... condition More positionposture Word family Forms circumstancedcircumstances Related forms circumspectioncircumstantialcoinstantial Common collocations extraordinary circumstance Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From Middle English circumstaunce, from Old French circonstance, from Latin circumstantia. circumstaunce Middle English circonstance Old French circumstantia Latin View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # circumstance **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɜːkəmst(ə)ns/ **Frequency rank:** 11540 ## Meanings 1. A fact or condition that affects a situation or event. 2. The conditions of a person's life, especially their money and surroundings. 3. Formal ceremony surrounding an important occasion. ## Examples - Under the circumstances, we decided to cancel the trip. - She was born into comfortable circumstances. - The graduation was full of pomp and circumstance. ## Synonyms - position - posture ## Related Forms - circumspection - circumstantial - coinstantial ## Roots and Affixes - Root: circumstaunce - Root: circonstance - Root: circumstantia - Affix: circum- - around ## Etymology From Middle English circumstaunce, from Old French circonstance, from Latin circumstantia. ## AI Etymology circumstance is a noun and verb. It is from Middle English circumstaunce, from Old French circonstance, from Latin circumstantia. Historical forms in the chain include circumstaunce (Middle English), circonstance (Old French), and circumstantia (Latin). Current senses include a fact or condition that affects a situation or event, the conditions of a person's life, especially their money and surroundings, and formal ceremony surrounding an important occasion. Related words include circumspection, circumstantial, and coinstantial. ## Topics - People & Society - Register & Style markdown