exigency

American  

[ek-si-juhn-see, ig-zij-uhn-] / ˈɛk sɪ dʒən si, ɪgˈzɪdʒ ən- /

Also exigence

noun

plural

exigencies

1. exigent state or character; urgency.

2. Usually exigencies the need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance, condition, etc..

   the exigencies of city life.

3. a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy; emergency.

   He promised help in any exigency.

   Synonyms:

   pinch, fix, predicament, strait, plight, contingency, crisis

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exigency British  

/ ˈɛksɪdʒəns, ˈɛksɪdʒənsɪ, ɪɡˈzɪdʒənsɪ /

noun

1. the state of being exigent; urgency

2. (often plural) an urgent demand; pressing requirement

3. an emergency

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Etymology

Origin of exigency

From the Medieval Latin word exigentia, dating back to 1575–85. See exigent, -ency

Example Sentences

"To spare them from the exigencies of the bill should be done on the grounds that membership of this House would allow them to maintain more easily the contacts that help them perform their duties."

From BBC

It will be encumbered neither by norms nor the exigencies that compel speech in a democratic society.

From Salon

Daniel Kehlmann’s latest novel, “The Director,” an engrossing meditation on the exigencies of art and the dangers of artistic complicity, lands in the United States at a good time.

From Los Angeles Times

Economic exigencies are often more urgent than a deference to the past, but Little Tokyo is trying to have it both ways.

From Los Angeles Times

“We discussed whether we had exigency” to enter the apartment forcibly.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• contingency
• vicissitude