Phrase guide

state of affairs

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A specific situation; a set of circumstances.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • His uncooperative attitude creates a difficult state of affairs for all of us.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time- Franklin D.Roosevelt

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the present international situation is dangerous
  • wondered how such a state of affairs had come about
  • eternal truths will be neither true nor eternal unless they have fresh meaning for every new social situation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: situation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: state

Narrower terms: absurd, the absurd, acceptance, ballgame, new ballgame, challenge, childlessness, complication, crowding, disequilibrium, element, environment, equilibrium, exclusion, goldfish bowl, fish bowl, fishbowl, hotbed, inclusion, intestacy, picture, scene, prison, prison house, rejection, size, size of it, square one, status quo, thing

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: хәл (xəl) — specific situation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 事態 /事态 (shìtài) — specific situation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 情況 /情况 (qíngkuàng) — specific situation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 狀態 /状态 (zhuàngtài) — specific situation
  • Dutch: stand van zaken — specific situation
  • Dutch: situatie — specific situation
  • Dutch: toestand — specific situation
  • Esperanto: aferstato — specific situation
  • Esperanto: stato de aferoj — specific situation
  • Finnish: asiaintila — specific situation
  • Finnish: asianlaita — specific situation
  • French: état de choses — specific situation
  • French: situation — specific situation
  • French: état des lieux — specific situation
  • Georgian: საქმეთა მდგომარეობა (sakmeta mdgomareoba) — specific situation
  • German: Sachlage — specific situation
  • German: Lage — specific situation
  • German: Zustand — specific situation
  • Hungarian: tényállás — specific situation
  • Italian: situazione — specific situation
  • Italian: stato — specific situation
  • Italian: stato delle cose — specific situation
  • Japanese: 事態 (jitai) — specific situation
  • Japanese: 事体 (jitai) — specific situation
  • Polish: stan rzeczy — specific situation
  • Portuguese: estado de coisas — specific situation
  • Portuguese: circunstância — specific situation
  • Russian: положе́ние дел (položénije del) — specific situation
  • Russian: состоя́ние дел (sostojánije del) — specific situation
  • Russian: положе́ние (položénije) — specific situation
  • Russian: состоя́ние (sostojánije) — specific situation
  • Scottish Gaelic: suidheachadh — specific situation
  • Slovene: okoliščina — specific situation
  • Spanish: situación actual — specific situation
  • Spanish: estado de los asuntos — specific situation
  • Turkish: gidişat — specific situation
  • Vietnamese: tình hình — specific situation