What does exigent mean?
Exigent is a formal adjective describing something so urgent or demanding that it requires immediate attention or action. An exigent crisis cannot wait; an exigent boss, schedule, or workload places heavy demands on one's time and energy. The word appears most frequently in legal contexts — American law recognizes "exigent circumstances" as situations, such as imminent danger, that justify warrantless action by police — as well as in journalism and literary prose. Its connotations are serious and weighty: to call something exigent is to signal gravity rather than mere inconvenience. Derived from the Latin verb exigere, meaning to drive out, demand, or measure precisely, it shares deep roots with words such as exact and examine. Because everyday alternatives like urgent and pressing are more familiar, deploying exigent lends writing a precise, authoritative register suited to emergencies, deadlines, and pressing obligations.
Urgent; requiring immediate attention or action.
"Firefighters responded to the exigent call without delay."
Especially common in legal phrase "exigent circumstances."
Demanding; placing heavy requirements on someone's time, effort, or resources.
"She struggled to balance her exigent career with family life."
This sense overlaps with "exacting" but emphasizes pressure more than precision.
In American law, "exigent circumstances" can let police enter your home without a warrant — one word that quietly shapes constitutional rights.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exigent
Exigent derives from the Latin present participle exigens of the verb exigere, meaning "to drive out, demand, require, or measure exactly," formed from ex- ("out") and agere ("to drive or do"). The word entered English in the early 17th century, initially carrying senses tied to demand and necessity before settling into its modern meaning of urgent or pressing. It shares its Latin root with cognates such as exact, examine, exigency, and exiguous, all tracing back to the same notion of driving out or exacting.
Related word forms
How exigent is actually used
"Exigent" is formal and somewhat literary, appearing most often in legal writing (especially "exigent circumstances") and in elevated prose about urgent situations. It carries a serious, weighty connotation rather than everyday urgency. In ordinary speech, "urgent" or "pressing" is far more common.
Easily confused with exigent
Exigent means urgent or demanding, while the similar-sounding exiguous means extremely small or scanty.
Exigency is the noun denoting an urgent need or pressing situation, whereas exigent is the adjective describing it.