| Noun | 1. | circumstance - a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activitycondition, status - a state at a particular time; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations" event, case - a special set of circumstances; "in that event, the first possibility is excluded"; "it may rain in which case the picnic will be canceled" hinge - a circumstance upon which subsequent events depend; "his absence is the hinge of our plan" playing field - the circumstances under which competition occurs; "the government's objective is to insure a genuinely level playing field for American industry and commerce in Europe" | |
| 2. | circumstance - the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event; "the historical context"environment - the totality of surrounding conditions; "he longed for the comfortable environment of his livingroom" | |
| 3. | circumstance - information that should be kept in mind when making a decision; "another consideration is the time it would take"information - knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction justification - something (such as a fact or circumstance) that shows an action to be reasonable or necessary; "he considered misrule a justification for revolution" mitigating circumstance - (law) a circumstance that does not exonerate a person but which reduces the penalty associated with the offense | |
| 4. | circumstance - formal ceremony about important occasions; "pomp and circumstance" | |