status quo

[kwoh]

noun

1. the existing state or condition.

status quo

/ kwəʊ /

noun

1. the existing state of affairs

status quo

1. The existing order of things; present customs, practices, and power relations: “People with money are often content with the status quo.” From Latin, meaning “the state in which.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of status quo¹

First recorded in 1825–35, status quo is from Latin status quō literally, “state in which”

Word History and Origins

Origin of status quo¹

literally: the state in which

Idioms and Phrases

The existing condition or state of affairs, as in We don't want to admit more singers to the chorus; we like the status quo. This term, Latin for “state in which,” has been used in English since the early 1800s.

Example Sentences

“What Pat did in terms of challenging the status quo was quintessentially American,” Oliphant’s son, Grant, says in the film.

From Salon

But after a cycle on the defensive, the group is targeting incumbents again in favor of working-class progressives who will shake up the status quo.

From Los Angeles Times

Garrett Watson, the director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation, said in an interview with Salon that, with a few exceptions, “a lot of it is extending, effectively, the status quo.”

From Salon

They need to cast themselves as a party of change, not the status quo.

From Los Angeles Times

Nor, in the post-Civil War South, were white people subtle in their condemnation of Americans of color who managed to advance economically or challenged the status quo.

From Salon

Related Words

• state of affairs www.thesaurus.com
• status