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Glite Dictionary
to navigate tough situations

to navigate tough situations

5.1
To deal with difficult situations calmly and successfully
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : manejar situaciones difíciles
  • Effective leaders know how to navigate tough situations during times of crisis.

Examples

  • She's learned to navigate tough situations at work with patience and skill.

  • As a single parent, he often has to navigate tough situations on his own.

  • He can navigate tough situations with ease.

  • I need to navigate tough situations better.

  • To succeed in her job, she must navigate tough situations with confidence.

  • He has developed the ability to navigate tough situations while keeping a calm demeanor.

  • In a rapidly changing environment, employees need to navigate tough situations effectively.

Synonyms

to manage
vsto navigate tough situations
∞ 3.2

To do something difficult, often with little help

is specifically about handling challenging circumstances successfully rather than single success
to cope
vsto navigate tough situations
272 2.9

To deal with problems and difficult situations

emphasizes overall success in hard situations rather than resource limits
to cope with
vsto navigate tough situations
150 2.9

Manage a difficult problem, situation or strong feeling

focuses on broader successful handling of hard circumstances rather than one task
to weather the storm
vsto navigate tough situations
  • Informal
11 5.2

To survive a difficult time by dealing with problems

covers active managing of hard circumstances rather than mere survival
to rise to the challenge
vsto navigate tough situations
6 4.2

Face a difficult task and succeed at it

is broader, covering any successful dealing with difficult circumstances
to face a challenge
vsto navigate tough situations
5 3.9

Deal with a difficult problem or situation

is about successfully managing problems rather than only confronting them
to handle a situation
vsto navigate tough situations
3 3.2

To deal with a problem or difficult event well

is about succeeding in difficult circumstances rather than solving a single problem
to come through under pressure
vsto navigate tough situations
1 4.6

Do well when you feel pressure

is more general, covering successful dealing not only performance moments
to weather the challenge
vsto navigate tough situations
7.0

Manage to get through a difficult situation

focuses on managing difficult circumstances proactively rather than only enduring

Antonyms

to give up
∞ 1.2

To stop trying to do something or accept defeat

to mishandle
20 4.9

Deal with something badly so it causes problems or damage

How Effective

to navigate tough situations
5.1
to cope
272 2.9
to get by
121 3.1

Surface Forms

navigate tough situations infinitive
navigated tough situations past
navigated tough situations past participle
navigating tough situations present participle
navigates tough situations third person singular

Morphology

navigate + tough + situation

The meaning is transparently built from 'navigate' (to find or manage a path) plus 'tough situations' (difficult circumstances); together they straightforwardly mean to manage or deal with difficult circumstances. This compositional metaphor (using navigation to describe managing problems) is common across languages and follows standard English verb + noun phrase patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Navigate tough situations comes from the image of steering a boat through rough water; to navigate is to find a safe path when waves and rocks make the trip hard. So, the phrase now means 'to manage or deal with difficult circumstances'.