under the circumstances
46
3.4
- idiom
:
dadas las circunstancias
- It's the least I can do under the circumstances, Mrs. Hill.
- possible under the circumstances
- well under the circumstances
- best under the circumstances
I was brought here under the circumstances that you Sir knew who I was.
- I was brought here under the circumstances that you Sir knew who I was.
- So a player like a player like that will flourish under the circumstances you just said.
- So that's kind of the best, the best you can do under the circumstances.
- You could and people were sent to Siberia or executed for telling these jokes, but they were very good jokes under the circumstances.
- I was like seeing someone under the circumstances be like, no, bro, like where are you?
Examples
-
Look, I'm trying to do the best I can under the circumstances.
-
Kate McTiernan was surprisingly relaxed under the circumstances, as if she could have done this for a living.
Fiction book (1995) -
Well, it was the best I could do under the circumstances.
-
David, under the circumstances I think it's best you take some time off.
-
Public schools have an impossible job to perform, but tend to do well under the circumstances.
Academic text (2000) -
Well, under the circumstances, probably there is no alternative to Afghanistan.
-
We're sorry, mister, but there is nothing we can do under the circumstances.
Fiction book (1998) -
One's best judgment of what is right is duty under the circumstances.
Academic text (1997) -
Under the circumstances, you'd be well advised to seek legal counsel immediately.
-
We worked together to complete the project, and under the circumstances, I think we did well.
Synonyms
25
3.5
Use when you think about a fact or situation in a decision
Considering a fact or situation
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
under + the + circumstances
The phrase's meaning ('because of' or 'given the situation') is directly derivable from combining 'under' (in or subject to an abstract state) with 'circumstances' (the situation or conditions), so the overall sense follows a straightforward compositional logic. This locative/metaphorical use of 'under' to indicate a contextual condition is common cross-linguistically and thus should be predictable to a B1 learner who already knows the constituents.
Etymology
Under the circumstances creates a simple picture: you are under the surrounding circumstances, like standing under a roof of events that limit what you can do. So it means 'because of' or 'considering' the situation.