scenario

n. countable

B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //sɪˈnɛɹioʊ// UK //sənˈɑːɹiˌəʊ// sce·nario

Academic Archaic General-service

n. a description of how things might happen in the future. You use it to talk about a possible situation or a plan.

n. a sequence of events that is imagined or possible; a projected course of action or situation.

SIMPLE

In the worst-case scenario, we will have to start over.

CONTEXTUAL

The emergency team practiced for a scenario where the city's power grid fails during a storm.

COMPLEX

Economists are currently modeling a scenario in which global trade slows down significantly due to rising tariffs and supply chain disruptions.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱeh₃-der. Ancient Greek σκηνή (skēnḗ)bor. Latin scēnabor. Italian scena Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āsios Latin -ārius Latin -āriumbor. Italian -ario Italian scenariobor. English scenario Borrowed from Italian scenario, from scena + -ario.

Usage

Often used with adjectives like 'best-case', 'worst-case', or 'likely' to describe different possibilities.