Basic Details
Word: Circumstances
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The facts, conditions or events that surround something and affect what happens. It can also mean a person's money and living conditions.
Synonyms: conditions, situation, context
Word origin: From Latin circumstantia, from circum, around, and stare, to stand.
How to Spell Circumstances
Syllables: cir - cum - stan - ces
Tricky part: The ending is -stances with a c, not an s: circumstanses is a frequent slip. The m of circum also gets lost when the word is said quickly.
Watch out for: circumstanses, circomstances, circumstences
Memory tip: Circum means around, as in circumference. The circumstances are what stands around an event: circum + stances, the plural of stance.
Idioms and Phrases
- under no circumstances: Never, whatever happens. Example: "Under no circumstances should you open the oven door while the cake is rising."
Usage Examples
Example 1: Given the circumstances, the match was moved to the indoor stadium.
Example 2: The police are looking into the circumstances of the fire at the godown.
Example 3: Ravi's family lived in difficult circumstances after the floods.
Fun Fact
Other English words built on circum include circumnavigate, to sail all the way round, and circumspect, careful, which first meant looking around.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. consequence 2. occurrence 3. circumstanses 4. coincidence
a) two things happening at the same time by chance
b) something that happens
c) a result of an action
d) the facts and conditions connected with an event
Show answer
d) the facts and conditions connected with an event. The ending is -stances with a c, the same as in distances.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
Owing to unforeseen secmatcirnucs, the school trip to Ooty was called off.
a) circumstantial
b) circumstances
c) circumference
d) circulations
Show answer
b) circumstances. The letters hold three c's, two s's and an a, which fits circumstances and none of the other three.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word circumstances as used in the sentence:
In such circumstances, the captain decided it was safer to turn the boat back.
a) conditions
b) directions
c) celebrations
d) instructions
Show answer
a) conditions. The circumstances are the conditions the captain was facing at sea.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone living in reduced circumstances ____.
a) lives in a tiny flat by choice
b) eats less to stay fit
c) has fewer friends than before
d) has less money than before
Show answer
d) has less money than before
2. Circumstantial evidence in a court case is evidence that ____.
a) points to a fact without proving it directly
b) is a recorded confession
c) comes from an eyewitness
d) is known to be false
Show answer
a) points to a fact without proving it directly
