1
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
the party was once again facing its quadrennial quagmire: the candidate sufficiently liberal to win the nomination would be too liberal for the general election
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of quagmire
The result has been a quagmire and a continuation of government ownership for much longer than originally intended.
—
Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
By then, this game was simply a quagmire to be navigated.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Something that might have ultimately shown how these binaries are intractable, unsolvable, quintessentially American quagmires?
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
That creates a quagmire of subjective discussions about who else deserves pardons and is their cause politically justified.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quagmire 
Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
By then, this game was simply a quagmire to be navigated.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Something that might have ultimately shown how these binaries are intractable, unsolvable, quintessentially American quagmires?
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
That creates a quagmire of subjective discussions about who else deserves pardons and is their cause politically justified.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
-
Willard didn’t envy Illinois coach Brad Underwood’s predicament against Maryland’s big men.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Though bucks are known to get their antlers tangled up during fights on rare occasions, this predicament was particularly challenging — and called for very steady aim, according to wildlife officials.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The diplomatic tangle was particularly complicated for Italy, which is a historic ally of Washington but maintains good relations with Tehran.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Letting the roast simmer for hours in a mixture of pickled jalapeño brine and fish sauce yields a fall-apart tangle of meat that’s wildly good on soft rolls or over piles of rice.—
Margaux Laskey,
New York Times,
30 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
See maps People donating to California wildfire victims face a dilemma: Leave a tip too?—
James Powel,
USA TODAY,
14 Jan. 2025
-
Consider this dilemma: someone has an old home in a high-price area and is considering adding a bathroom to the home.—
Cicely Jones,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Different plants, like nasturtiums, act as effective trap crops by being the more desirable plant for common garden pests — leaving the trap plant to be treated or removed over the one producing food.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Avoid the trap of short-term gains that compromise long-term viability.—
Karlo Tanjuakio,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
While James Beard-finalist chef Pushkar Marathe grew up in India, and his Stage menu does play with lots of chutneys and pickle, his small dishes are inflected with all kinds of global flavors, such as Korean bbq ribs with gochujang sauce and kimchi aioli.—
John Oseid,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
-
For me, simple congee with pickles and pork floss was perfect to help with digestion after more than a week of decadent meals.—
Amber Gibson,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
As my colleague Ian Bogost remarked in a post on Bluesky this week, the morass of social-media posts and news articles often felt empty.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2024
-
Carey thinks that the innovators that will emerge from the current morass relatively unscathed are the ones that have benefited from a parent company’s fiscal and resource scaffolding from the get-go.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
-
Jim Paladino, Tampa Start with the swamp The Sun Sentinel recently published a letter by Deb Tarrant of Hillsboro Beach that could have been written by Trump himself.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Jan. 2025
-
The locations team was worried, however, that the swamp was too slippery for actors, crew and animals, its bed made up of mud and roots.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The legal system is broken, and businesses can't take a chance on getting caught up in this quicksand.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
9 Jan. 2025
-
The legal system is broken, and businesses can’t take a chance in getting caught up in this quicksand.—
Tara Suter,
The Hill,
6 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to quagmire
Thesaurus Entries Near quagmire
Cite this Entry
“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share