Synonym Chooser

How is the word circumstance distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of circumstance are episode, event, incident, and occurrence. While all these words mean "something that happens or takes place," circumstance implies a specific detail attending an action or event as part of its setting or background.

couldn't recall the exact circumstances

When could episode be used to replace circumstance?

The words episode and circumstance can be used in similar contexts, but episode stresses the distinctiveness or apartness of an incident.

a brief romantic episode in a life devoted to work

When might event be a better fit than circumstance?

The meanings of event and circumstance largely overlap; however, event usually implies an occurrence of some importance and frequently one having antecedent cause.

the events following the assassination

When can incident be used instead of circumstance?

While the synonyms incident and circumstance are close in meaning, incident suggests an occurrence of brief duration or secondary importance.

a minor wartime incident

When would occurrence be a good substitute for circumstance?

Although the words occurrence and circumstance have much in common, occurrence may apply to a happening without intent, volition, or plan.

an encounter that was a chance occurrence

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of circumstance The circumstances around us are far from being favorable; the macroeconomic and political situation is so unpredictable. Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 What David and Giovanni suffer in the novel doesn’t merely happen to them, contingent upon circumstance; it is fated, the fulfillment of a logic that is homophobic at its heart. Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 This was a drastic measure by way of drastic circumstances. Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025 While the Second Circuit decidedly disfavors rehearings en banc, the court identifies several exceptional circumstances where petitions are granted. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for circumstance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumstance
Noun
  • But destiny and a magical GPS system have reunited them on a road trip of the soul, on which boy and girl will reconcile themselves with their hang-ups and traumas and, just maybe, learn to love one another.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Somehow, here sit the Astros, in control of their own destiny in one of baseball’s leanest divisions.
    Zack Meisel, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The new smart glasses are a bridge between the company's audio-only Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the experimental Orion augmented reality glasses that the company revealed at last year's Connect event.
    Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
  • In the wake of Kirk’s shooting, both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about holding outdoor events.
    Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The second and third matches are due to be played on Friday and Sunday, but the luck of the Irish may desert them with those grey skies in Dublin.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Leavitt isn't the only Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and MomTok veteran to try her luck on the ballroom this season.
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Six months later, fate intervened.
    Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Few believe Kim would countenance relinquishing his nuclear deterrence, given the fates of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, both toppled after abandoning their weapons programs.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And your decisions affect other things.
    Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Our main quibbles were with the fans—fan buzz and a lack of more fan filtration are two things to contend with—but experienced PC builders will find workarounds.
    Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Being able to generate code was finally getting a chance to shine in the bright lights of another erstwhile reason to use generative AI and LLMs.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • There was an official welcome outdoors, a private carriage procession around the Windsor Estate (which the public were kept away from) and the President and First Lady had a chance to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at her tomb in St George's Chapel.
    Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Sanders’ motion details several incidents in which Rackauckas and investigators maneuvered to keep the defense from receiving evidence that could have impeached Neary’s testimony.
    Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Many lawmakers, conservative and liberal alike, mourned him and the incident of political violence.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This is not simply a fortunate accident.
    Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
  • On September 2, 2025, her children filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Georgia's State Court of Gwinnett County against the drivers, truck manufacturers, and trucking companies responsible for the Alabama truck accident that caused fatal injuries to Stone while injuring several others.
    John Perlstein, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Circumstance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumstance. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

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