What does "exigency" mean?

The demands or requirements of a situation.

What is a synonym for "exigency"?

Common synonyms include: emergency, exigence, urgency, absence, case of need, climacteric.

Pronounced //ˈɛksɪd͡ʒənsi//.

//ˈɛksɪd͡ʒənsi// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
The demands or requirements of a situation. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"My business is with you, and you only. You should not have undertaken your office, unless prepared for its various exigencies."
2
a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action wordnet
3
An urgent situation, one requiring extreme effort or attention. countable, uncountable
4
a pressing or urgent situation wordnet
5
that which is required in a particular situation — usually used in plural. wordnet

"My business is with you, and you only. You should not have undertaken your office, unless prepared for its various exigencies."

From Middle French exigence, from Late Latin exigentia (“urgency”) (from exigēns + -ia), from exigere (“to demand”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.