Synonyms and antonyms of Words used to describe situations and circumstances in British Thesaurus

against a backcloth of something (British)

British in a particular situation

all’s well that ends well ()

used for saying that a situation that did not start in a good way has ended in a way that is satisfactory or pleasing

as it is/as it turns out ()

used for saying what the situation really is when something different might have happened

be well/badly off (adjective)

mainly spoken to be in a situation that is better/worse for you than another one

by/through force of circumstances ()

because of the situation that you are in, which forces you to do a particular thing

circumstantial (adjective)

relating to a particular circumstance

contextual (adjective)

connected with a particular context

effective (adjective)

used for saying what the situation really is, although its appearance or official description might be different

effectively (adverb)

used for saying what the situation really is, although its appearance or official description might be different

even if ()

used for emphasizing that although something may happen or may be true, another situation remains the same

face to face (adverb)

in a situation where you are forced to deal directly with a problem

far from ()

used for saying that the real situation is the opposite of what you mention

fateful (adjective)

a fateful action, event, or time is one that has an important and usually bad effect on what happens in the future

for all practical purposes ()

in fact: used for describing the actual effect of a situation

forget it ()

used for telling someone that the situation is completely different from what they think

if it were not for ()

used for saying what prevents the situation from being different

if the worst comes to the worst ()

used for saying what you will do if the worst thing that could happen does happen

if/when the occasion arises ()

if/when a particular situation happens

in any case ()

whatever the situation is or will be

in a perfect world ()

used for saying what would happen if the situation was exactly the way that you wanted it to be

in either event ()

if either of two things happens or is true

in reality ()

used for saying that the true situation is different from what has been said or thought

in someone’s place ()

used for talking about what you would do if you were in the same situation as someone else

in someone’s shoes ()

in the situation that someone else is in

in the event of/that ()

used for saying what will happen in a particular situation

in the/someone’s scheme of things ()

used for saying how a particular person, organization, event etc relates to the more general situation

it’s getting to the stage/point where... ()

used for saying that a situation has reached a very bad stage

like/hate/love etc it when ()

used for saying that you like, hate etc a particular type of situation or experience

month by month ()

used for emphasizing the progress that a situation is making

on the boil ()

if a situation or feeling is on the boil, it is very strong or a lot of people are talking about it

on the other side of the fence ()

in a completely different situation or position from the one you are used to

on the whole ()

used for talking about the general situation

or else ()

used for stating the second of two possibilities

paradise (noun)

a perfect place or situation

paradise (noun)

a place that has everything that a particular type of person might want

the plot thickens ()

used for saying that a situation is becoming more complicated or mysterious

situated (adjective)

formal in a particular situation, especially a financial one

something is up ()

used for saying that something is wrong or something bad is happening

the tail wagging the dog ()

used for saying that a situation is stupid because something important is being decided or controlled by something less important

that’s the way the cookie crumbles ()

used for saying that you must accept a situation that you do not like because you cannot change it

there’s nothing for it but ()

used when you are saying that a situation is so difficult that there is only one thing that you can do

undecided (adjective)

if a situation, problem, issue etc is undecided, no one has solved it or made a decision about it

unique (adjective)

only existing or happening in one place or situation

unsettled (adjective)

something such as a problem or argument that is unsettled has not been dealt with successfully

unsteady (adjective)

not regular, calm, or normal

unsustainable (adjective)

not capable of continuing at the same rate or level

watch this space ()

used for telling someone that the situation is still developing and that you will provide more information soon

wrong (adjective)

if there is something wrong, there is a problem