juncture
noun
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Juncture has many relatives—both obvious and obscure—in English. Juncture derives from the Latin verb jungere ("to join"), which gave us not only join and junction but also conjugal ("relating to marriage") and junta ("a group of persons controlling a government"). Jungere also has distant etymological connections to joust, jugular, juxtapose, yoga, and yoke. The use of juncture in English dates back to the 14th century. Originally, the word meant "a place where two or more things are joined," but by the 17th century it could also be used of an important point in time or of a stage in a process or activity.
Synonyms
- point
Example Sentences
Luca Evans, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2022 But Alabama still easily covered the 41.5-point betting spread against a non-Power 5 team that looked overmatched at every juncture Saturday night. Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, 3 Sep. 2022 That choice brings about an examination of a single man who gets caught in a series of societal machines that break down at every juncture, and as a result, is ultimately refused to fund his survival and instead paid for his death. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Aug. 2022 Painstaking negotiations appear to have reached a critical juncture this week, with the U.S. submitting a response to Iran's comments on the text of a final draft agreement. David Faris, The Week, 26 Aug. 2022 The song’s release comes at a tenuous juncture in the history of the Migos, amid swirling rumors that the group featuring Offset, Quavo and Takeoff could be headed for a split. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2022 On Saturday, the water level at the German town of Kaub -- a critical juncture -- slipped to just 36 centimeters, or 14 inches, according to official figures. CNN, 14 Aug. 2022 Mantas Zilys missed a crucial juncture of Naperville Central’s summer schedule, but basketball coach Pete Kramer gave Zilys his blessing. Patrick Z. Mcgavin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2022 At some juncture, the AI driving system might computationally ascertain that the self-driving car is heading into an untenable situation and that the autonomous vehicle is going to crash. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Kids Definition
juncture
noun
juncture
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- point
- moment
- second
- minute
- moment of truth
- while
- trice
- instant
- nanosecond
- stretch
- crisis
- split second
- cusp
- jiffy
- shake
- tick
- heartbeat
- threshold
- crack
- beat
- verge
- wire
- flash
- bit
- spell
- nick
- brink
- twinkle
- wink
- crunch time
Synonyms & Similar Words
- junction
- intersection
- confluence
- joint
- joining
- join
- coupling
- connection
- jointure
- tie
- nexus
- interconnection
- articulation
- abutment
- link
- suture
- seam
- meeting
- attachment
- union
- concourse
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- gap
- fissure
- separation
- rift
- crevice
- crack
- cleft
Synonyms & Similar Words
- crisis
- situation
- extremity
- head
- conjuncture
- exigency
- crossroad(s)
- emergency
- milestone
- clutch
- zero hour
- flash point
- predicament
- possibility
- crunch
- boiling point
- breaking point
- climax
- moment of truth
- corner
- crunch time
- happening
- tinderbox
- point of no return
- contingency
- landmark
- condition
- impasse
- spot
- pass
- strait
- Dunkirk
- deadlock
- turning point
- stalemate
- pinch
- hot water
- hole
- eleventh hour
- jam
- scrape
- fix
- last minute
- last ditch
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of juncture are contingency, crisis, emergency, exigency, pinch, straits, and strait. While all these words mean "a critical or crucial time or state of affairs," juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.
While the synonyms contingency and juncture are close in meaning, contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.
Although the words crisis and juncture have much in common, crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.
The words emergency and juncture are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.
While in some cases nearly identical to juncture, exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.
Pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency.
Strait, now commonly straits, applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult.