EXIGENCY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does exigency mean? 

• EXIGENCY (noun)
  The noun EXIGENCY has 2 senses:

1. a pressing or urgent situation

2. a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action

  Familiarity information: EXIGENCY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EXIGENCY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A pressing or urgent situation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

the health-care exigency

Hypernyms ("exigency" is a kind of...):

crisis (an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty)

Derivation:

exigent (demanding attention)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

emergency; exigency; pinch

Context example:

he never knew what to do in an emergency

Hypernyms ("exigency" is a kind of...):

crisis (a crucial stage or turning point in the course of something)

Derivation:

exigent (demanding attention)

 Context examples 

Mina took a growing interest in everything and I was rejoiced to see that the exigency of affairs was helping her to forget for a time the terrible experience of the night.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I learned, there, that he had gone to Lowestoft, to meet some sudden exigency of ship-repairing in which his skill was required; but that he would be back tomorrow morning, in good time.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Young dogs are bound to play, and out of the exigencies of the situation they realised their play in this mimic warfare.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Opening the window, I walked in upon them; liberated Celine from my protection; gave her notice to vacate her hotel; offered her a purse for immediate exigencies; disregarded screams, hysterics, prayers, protestations, convulsions; made an appointment with the vicomte for a meeting at the Bois de Boulogne.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Many a time I have shared between two claimants the precious morsel of brown bread distributed at tea-time; and after relinquishing to a third half the contents of my mug of coffee, I have swallowed the remainder with an accompaniment of secret tears, forced from me by the exigency of hunger.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)