emergency

noun

your quick response in an emergency could be a lifesaver:

crisis, urgent situation, extremity, exigency;

accident, disaster, catastrophe, calamity;

difficulty, plight, predicament, tight spot, tight corner, mess;

quandary, dilemma;

unforeseen circumstances, dire/desperate straits, danger;

informal scrape, jam, fix, pickle, spot, hole, hot water, crunch, panic stations.

adjective

1 an emergency meeting:

urgent, crisis;

impromptu, extraordinary.

2 an emergency exit:

alternative, substitute, replacement, spare, extra, standby, auxiliary, reserve, backup, fill-in, fallback, in reserve.

▷antonyms main, primary.