1
general::
noun the things that are happening ADJ. general, overall, total, whole | current, immediate, present | international, local, national, world | actual, concrete, real/real-life | hypothetical, unlikely | favourable, happy, healthy, ideal, privileged | satisfactory, stable | chaotic, explosive, fluid, unstable, volatile | awkward, delicate, difficult, embarrassing, sticky, stressful, tense, tricky, uncomfortable, unpleasant, vulnerable I always seem to get into sticky situations on holiday. | dangerous, hazardous, perilous, risky | crisis, emergency | alarming, bad, critical, deplorable, desperate, disgraceful, grave, intolerable, serious, terrible, tragic, unhappy | catch-22, hopeless, no-win | absurd, bizarre, extraordinary, ludicrous, novel, odd, paradoxical, ridiculous, strange, unique, unusual | complex, complicated | simple | one-to-one | social Do you feel awkward in social situations? | strategic | work | domestic | economic, financial, legal, military, political the international political situation VERB + SITUATION bring about, create, lead to, result in | be faced with, be placed in, encounter, face, find yourself in, get into I found myself in rather an awkward situation. | avoid | grasp, take in, understand She found it difficult to take in the situation. | analyse, appraise, assess, consider, discuss, examine, judge, look at, review, size up, take stock of, think about, weigh up | clarify, describe, explain, outline, sum up | accept, face up to | address, be in control of, cope with, deal with, handle, respond to, take control of learning strategies to cope with difficult situations | ameliorate, defuse, ease, help, improve, rectify, remedy The peacekeepers are trained to defuse potentially explosive situations. | exploit, take advantage of He saw she was confused and he took full advantage of the situation. | lose control of | affect, change, influence, transform | aggravate, complicate, exacerbate Interfering now would only exacerbate the situation. SITUATION + VERB arise, develop We will deal with that if the situation arises. | improve | change | deteriorate, worsen The situation is deteriorating rapidly. PREP. in a/the ~ What would you do in this situation? PHRASES the gravity/seriousness of the situation Given the gravity of the situation, I'm not surprised she's panicking. | a way out of the situation I was in trouble and I could see no way out of the situation. position of sth ADJ. beautiful, idyllic, pleasant PREP. in a ~ located in a beautiful situation