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
Example 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
For three decades, websites large and small have depended on search to help build their readership; now they’re caught in a philosophical quagmire.
—
Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
Simply put, Democrats can escape their electoral quagmire by recognizing what successful liberal politicians understood until quite recently—that there's nothing compassionate or progressive about letting corporations exploit cheap foreign labor to undermine American workers.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
However, this path has led many young adults into a financial quagmire.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The result has been a quagmire and a continuation of government ownership for much longer than originally intended.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quagmire 
Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
Simply put, Democrats can escape their electoral quagmire by recognizing what successful liberal politicians understood until quite recently—that there's nothing compassionate or progressive about letting corporations exploit cheap foreign labor to undermine American workers.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
However, this path has led many young adults into a financial quagmire.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
The result has been a quagmire and a continuation of government ownership for much longer than originally intended.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
-
Compounding the sector’s overall predicament was the collapse of the federal government in December, forcing snap elections scheduled for Feb. 23.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Much like the Europeans, Trump looks at the Taiwanese and has little sympathy with their predicament.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
With estuaries full of reptiles, swooping egrets, and thick tangles of mangroves decorated in Cajun hibiscus, this is wild Louisiana.—
Jenny Adams,
AFAR Media,
11 Feb. 2025
-
Sliced thinly, the central ingredients create a towering tangle of crunch.—
Kendra Vaculin,
Bon Appétit,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
That would be the quiet young man sitting opposite me in a pub in Stockport while the Liverpool vice-captain wrestles with the dilemma of whether to leave for Real Madrid to pursue his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or.—
Oliver Kay,
The Athletic,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Other data showed evidence of moral improvement: people's rates of cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma game from 1956 to 2017 increased.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Determined to resolve the situation, the OP set a trap.—
Darlin Tillery,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Listen to this article Rodent issues — including one found alive in a sticky trap at an Italian restaurant and more than 40 droppings in a taco spot’s kitchen — were among the violations that led the state to temporarily shut nine South Florida restaurants last week.—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The company mentioned Pinterest naming pickles as a top trend for 2025 as another reason for the new flavor.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
-
So what makes this gentle would-be romance between a bookstore clerk and a pickle vendor so timeless, so endlessly appealing?—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
While there may be a role for insurance, the sheer number of insurance products available today often creates more confusion than clarity for Americans, forcing them to wade through the morass of fine print that can be purposely misleading and sometimes fraudulent.—
Renee Hsia,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Brown stars as Xavier Collins, a secret service agent to the former President of the United States, Cal Bradford (James Marsden), who is entangled in a morass of intrigue when he is accused of killing his charge.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
16 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Underneath, a swamp of flavors: pork debris (the meat that falls off the roast and settles at the bottom of the pan; seems to be a Louisiana thing), cheesy grits, caramelized onions, and garlic.—
David Hudnall,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Start with the live animal exhibits and displays in the Nature Center, and then venture outdoors along gravel paths and boardwalks through a hardwood forest and a cypress-tupelo swamp.—
Kristy Christiansen,
Southern Living,
5 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Of course academics and other people with more regular artist jobs can get harried, but then again so can artists trying to string together work on quicksand!—
Liana Finck,
The New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2025
-
The Zags, a perennial powerhouse and long the best team in the West, looked like they were stuck in quicksand all night.—
Lindsay Schnell,
The Athletic,
16 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 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share