Status is a noun meaning a person’s or thing’s standing, position, or condition within a particular system or context. It denotes social ranking, formal state, or current situation, often used to describe legitimacy, authority, or visibility. In everyday language, it also refers to the current state or development of something.”
"Her status within the company rose after the successful project."
"The patient’s status was updated in the medical chart."
"Public awareness of the issue has changed the political status quo."
"She checked the status of her application online."
Status comes from the Latin status, meaning 'a standing, position, or state,' from the verb stalls, meaning 'to stand' or 'to be in place.' The Latin noun status denoted a standing or condition and passed into Early Modern English with a similar meaning. In English usage, the word broadened to cover social standing, legal condition, and general state of affairs. The term appears in medieval and renaissance texts to indicate public or official standing, later becoming common in bureaucratic and sociopolitical discourse. The lexical evolution tracks from Roman administrative terminology to its modern sense of formal standing within institutions and society, and to the more abstract sense of current condition or situation across various domains. The first known English use dates to the 15th century, with subsequent expansions in legal and government language during the 16th–18th centuries, and continued use in contemporary dictionaries reflecting both social status and the state of things.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Status" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Status" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Status"
-tus sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as ˈsteɪ.təs (US/UK/AU). Primary stress on the first syllable. The first syllable uses the long a as in 'state' and the second is a reduced schwa /ə/. So you say: STEY-tuhs with the final unstressed syllable reduced. Pay attention to not turning it into ‘stat-uss’ or ‘stah-tus’; keep the crisp /eɪ/ vowel and a light, quick schwa. IPA reference: US/UK/AU ˈsteɪtəs.
Common errors include pronouncing the second syllable with a full vowel (e.g., /ˈsteɪtəs/ → /ˈsteɪtəs/ with a clear /ɒ/ or /ʌ/), or misplacing the stress (stressing the second syllable: /ˈstætəs/). Another pitfall is blending the two syllables too tightly so it sounds like a single syllable. Correction: keep a clear boundary between /ˈsteɪ/ and /təs/, maintain primary stress on the first syllable, and ensure the second syllable reduces to /ə/ quickly.
In US/UK/AU you’ll find ˈsteɪtəs with primary stress on the first syllable. Rhotic variation is minimal in pronunciation of the word itself, but vowel quality differs: US speakers may have a tighter /eɪ/ near-diphthong; UK speakers often have a slightly longer /eɪ/ and less rhoticity in surrounding consonants; AU tends to maintain a flat /ə/ in the second syllable with similar /eɪ/ in the first. Overall, the core is ˈsteɪtəs across accents, with subtle vowel quality differences and speech tempo.
The challenge is the diphthong /eɪ/ in the first syllable and the reduced second syllable /ə/. Many speakers over-articulate the second syllable, turning it into /əs/ or /əs/ with a stronger vowel. Also, some may mistakenly stress the second syllable. Focus on: crisp /eɪ/ in the first syllable, quick and weak second syllable /təs/ with a reduced vowel, and keeping the boundary between syllables equal to a light beat.
A unique concern is ensuring the first syllable vowel length and quality clearly signal the word’s meaning in compound phrases like status update or status symbol. A reduced second syllable avoids ambiguity with similar sounding words like statues. Practice maintaining the long /eɪ/ spectrum and a short /t/ before the reduced syllable. In conversational pace, the second syllable should lag just enough to avoid sounding like two separate full vowels.
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