Meaning & use
exigence
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountableformal
A pressing need or demand created by a situation that cannot wait.
Grammar: Often uncountable in general use, but countable in the plural exigences, though exigencies is more common.
Patterns
- the exigence of something
- exigence for something
The exigence of the flood forced the town to act within hours.
He quit his studies because of financial exigence.
Doctors must respond to the exigence of the moment.
nouncountabletechnical
In writing and rhetoric, the problem or occasion that moves someone to speak or write.
Grammar: Used as a technical term: identify the exigence of a speech.
Patterns
- the exigence for a text
- respond to an exigence
The exigence of her essay was the school's plan to cut library hours.
Before drafting, name the exigence that makes your argument necessary.
A rise in rents gave the editorial a clear exigence.
Word forms
| plural | exigences |
|---|
Common combinations
- rhetorical exigence
- Every speech responds to a rhetorical exigence.
- identify the exigence
- Students were asked to identify the exigence of the article.
- exigence of the moment
- She rewrote the plan to meet the exigence of the moment.
- respond to an exigence
- The mayor's statement responded to a growing exigence.
- urgent exigence
- The urgent exigence left no time for debate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- urgency
- Urgency is the common word for pressing importance, while exigence sounds formal or academic.
- emergency
- An emergency is a sudden dangerous event; an exigence is the pressing need an event creates.
- exigency
- Exigency is a nearly identical, more common spelling; exigence is favored in rhetoric studies.
- necessity
- Necessity means something is needed but does not always imply time pressure as exigence does.
Word family
Commonly confused: exigence or exigency? exigence or exegesis?
exigence vs exigency
Exigency and exigence mean nearly the same; exigency is more widely used outside rhetoric.
exigence vs exegesis
Exegesis means careful interpretation of a text, especially scripture, and is unrelated to urgency.
Practice
In rhetoric, what does the exigence of a speech refer to?
Choose one answer.
Exigence is the urgent problem that calls the speech into being. Style, length and applause are features of delivery, not its cause.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exigence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.