as in normality
the state or fact of being the way things usually are
civic leaders who are afraid to do anything that might change the town's status quo
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 status quo
Questioning that status quo starts with a basic thought.
—
Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
Hinton’s work shows how institutions—from urban police to public housing and segregated, underfunded schools—have, through their practices, entrenched a racially unjust status quo.
—Literary Hub, 30 Jan. 2026
But insufficient attention has been paid to the rapid and, in certain cases, decisive loss of legitimacy—the quasi-magical element that helps any stable status quo command respect and defuse potentially explosive dissent.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
However, Peled’s move challenges the longstanding status quo forbidding Jewish worship at the site, due to a combination of prohibitions imposed by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf and Orthodox rabbis.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for status quo
Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
Hinton’s work shows how institutions—from urban police to public housing and segregated, underfunded schools—have, through their practices, entrenched a racially unjust status quo.
—Literary Hub, 30 Jan. 2026
But insufficient attention has been paid to the rapid and, in certain cases, decisive loss of legitimacy—the quasi-magical element that helps any stable status quo command respect and defuse potentially explosive dissent.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
However, Peled’s move challenges the longstanding status quo forbidding Jewish worship at the site, due to a combination of prohibitions imposed by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf and Orthodox rabbis.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for status quo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for status quo
normality
Noun
-
Away from the track, Friedrich is a working police officer, adding an air of normality to an all-time great athlete.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
-
But after such an odd week to start F1’s on-track running in 2026, some normality will resume in two weeks at the first Bahrain test.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Status quo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/status%20quo. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
