juncture

[ juhngk-cher ]

noun

1. a point of time, especially one made critical or important by a concurrence of circumstances:

   At this juncture, we must decide whether to stay or to walk out.

2. a serious state of affairs; crisis:

   The matter has reached a juncture and a decision must be made.

3. the line or point at which two bodies are joined; joint or articulation; seam.
4. the act of joining.
5. the state of being joined.
6. something by which two things are joined.
7. Phonetics.
   1. a pause or other phonological feature or modification of a feature, as the lengthening of a preceding phoneme or the strengthening of a following one, marking a transition or break between sounds, especially marking the phonological boundary of a word, clause, or sentence: it is present in such words as night-rate and re-seed and absent in such words as nitrate and recede. Compare close juncture, open juncture, terminal juncture.
   2. the point in a word or group of words at which such a pause or other junctural marker occurs.

juncture

/ ˈdʒʌŋktʃə /

noun

1. a point in time, esp a critical one (often in the phrase at this juncture )
2. linguistics
   1. a pause in speech or a feature of pronunciation that introduces, accompanies, or replaces a pause
   2. the set of phonological features signalling a division between words, such as those that distinguish a name from an aim
3. a less common word for junction

Word History and Origins

Origin of juncture¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin junctūra, equivalent to junct(us) ( junction ) + -ūra -ure

Idioms and Phrases

see at this point (juncture) .

Synonym Study

See junction.

Example Sentences

But at this juncture, there was no point in not trying to make a strong impression upon the star target either.

From Los Angeles Times

That hope wavered and wobbled throughout a 28-20 win over Nebraska, as USC’s new quarterback looked equally dynamic and confounding at different junctures.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump’s first attorney general, the conservative former Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, outraged him with his fidelity to the rule of law at key junctures.

From Los Angeles Times

The occasionally painful work is worth it, Tyla says, because this is such an important juncture for African music.

From Los Angeles Times

And, most important, a full-blown, regional Middle East war — widely feared at several junctures over the last year — has been averted, at least for the moment.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crossroad