emergency

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. juncture, crisis; exigency, necessity, pinch, extremity. See circumstance, difficulty.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

Syn. accident, crisis, unforeseen occurrence, strait(s), urgency, exigency, contingency, pressing necessity, pressure, tension, distress, extremity, danger, compulsion, turn of events, juncture, pass, predicament, misadventure, turning point, impasse, dilemma, quandary, plight, pinch, clutch*, pretty pass*, fix*, red alert*; see also crisis , difficulty 1 , 2 .

Syn.- emergency refers to any sudden or unforeseen situation that requires immediate action [ the flood had created an emergency] ; exigency refers to such a situation with stress upon the need or urgency of a response to it [ the exigencies of the moment require drastic action ] ; contingency is used of an emergency regarded as remotely possible in the future [ prepare for any contingency] ; crisis refers to an event regarded as a turning point which will decisively determine an outcome [ an economic crisis] ; strait (or ?straits ) refers to a trying situation from which it is difficult to extricate oneself [ the loss left them in dire straits]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

crisis, exigency, trouble, urgency, plight, contingency, pinch, *pickle, bind, difficulty, clutch.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun A highly volatile dangerous situation requiring immediate remedial action: crisis, extremity, flash point. See POLITICS, SAFETY. II adjective Used or held in reserve: auxiliary, backup, reserve, secondary, standby, supplemental, supplementary. See INCREASE.