predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
pri-ˈdi-kə-mənt 
sense 1 is usually ˈpre-di-kə-
1
: the character, status, or classification assigned by a predication
specifically
: category sense 1
Examples of predicament in a Sentence
The captain of archers fidgeted and coughed and rolled his eyes at his men, as if such cupidity and dishonor were an inevitable but minor aspect of the human predicament …
—
Michael Chabon, New York Times Magazine, 6 May 2007
We saw photographs that week of buildings burning, stunned onlookers, dust-covered firemen. Very few pictures conveyed the fact that people just like us, our fellow passengers on the subway, suddenly found themselves in a mortal predicament and many died horribly.
—Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book Review, 3 Sept. 2006
The President found himself in the backwash of earlier deals, and the demands of secrecy made his predicament the more vexing.
—Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters, 1988
The governor has gotten himself into quite a predicament.
I don't know how to get out of the predicament I'm in.
Michael Chabon, New York Times Magazine, 6 May 2007
We saw photographs that week of buildings burning, stunned onlookers, dust-covered firemen. Very few pictures conveyed the fact that people just like us, our fellow passengers on the subway, suddenly found themselves in a mortal predicament and many died horribly.
—Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book Review, 3 Sept. 2006
The President found himself in the backwash of earlier deals, and the demands of secrecy made his predicament the more vexing.
—Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters, 1988
The governor has gotten himself into quite a predicament.
I don't know how to get out of the predicament I'm in.
Recent Examples on the Web
Smith turns in an incredibly twisted, emotionally wrenching performance, and watching Riley’s terrifying predicament up close instills a further sense of emotional mystery about what may lie at the end of Ava’s journey.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
This lose-lose analogy aptly describes Florida’s predicament now that President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis are clashing over who should be our next governor.
—Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2025
Tulsa was far from alone in this predicament; most of its midsize-city peers are facing the same challenges.
—Nicholas Lalla, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2025
The new film is only 91 minutes, but within its slender running time, Parkinson & Co. bring these people and their predicament to life.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predicament
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Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
This lose-lose analogy aptly describes Florida’s predicament now that President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis are clashing over who should be our next governor.
—Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2025
Tulsa was far from alone in this predicament; most of its midsize-city peers are facing the same challenges.
—Nicholas Lalla, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2025
The new film is only 91 minutes, but within its slender running time, Parkinson & Co. bring these people and their predicament to life.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predicament
Cite this Entry
“Predicament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predicament. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
pri-ˈdik-ə-mənt
: a difficult, puzzling, or trying situation : fix
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