Circumstance and response

Learn the distinctions

Connect a changing situation to the response it demands

Some of these words name circumstances. A dearth is a shortage; an exigency is an urgent need; a vicissitude is a change in fortune or conditions. A fluke is an unlikely result produced by chance, whereas capricious behavior or change is unpredictable because it shifts without a stable reason. Prescience looks in the opposite direction: it is apparent knowledge of events before they occur.

Other words describe how a person meets uncertainty. Ambivalence is the coexistence of conflicting feelings, while aplomb is calm self-confidence under pressure. Someone who stays abreast remains informed about developments. Furtive behavior attempts to avoid notice, often because the person expects disapproval. Pairing each circumstance with a plausible response turns an abstract definition into a usable distinction.