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
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Recent Examples of quagmire
The alternative would trap the United States in the same quagmire while returning Iran and Israel to the driver’s seat.
—
Alexander Langlois, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026
Jeane used the example not to say that any of the three were in danger of closing, but to point out one of the enrollment quagmires in the district that covers 70 square miles.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Despite a few diversions along the way, Minney keeps returning to craft as a solution to fashion’s many quagmires.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
By then, the American effort to create a democratic Iraq was becoming an unpopular quagmire, particularly among Democratic primary voters.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Alexander Langlois, Oc Register, 22 Apr. 2026
Jeane used the example not to say that any of the three were in danger of closing, but to point out one of the enrollment quagmires in the district that covers 70 square miles.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Despite a few diversions along the way, Minney keeps returning to craft as a solution to fashion’s many quagmires.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
By then, the American effort to create a democratic Iraq was becoming an unpopular quagmire, particularly among Democratic primary voters.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
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Our predicament was worsened by the motor-laden, vertically floating canoe that offered little support and would not be blown or pushed ashore, and by the loss of untethered life cushions and the lack of life jackets.—
Jim Hoagland,
Outdoor Life,
30 Apr. 2026
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Eddie Howe experienced a similar predicament and challenges on the financial front, with a desire for squad rejuvenation.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This can happen due to your natural hair texture, dryness, or environmental stressors like wind, friction from your pillowcase, or pollution—your cuticles can catch on each other like Velcro, Small says, causing tangles.—
Sarah Felbin,
Allure,
26 Apr. 2026
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Across the street, through a thick tangle of forest, the Khodymchuks’ building stood tall and gray in the snow.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For example, the false dilemma logical fallacy has become a very popular way to persuade people to incorrectly believe there are only two options.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
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While the work’s English title might indicate a sense of amusement or distraction, the Chinese title is an idiom that refers to being caught in a dilemma, like a boat that has left one shore but has not yet reached the other.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Through some careful engineering, Roberts, Alito, and their allies have created a trap for voting-rights cases.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
Catch tunneling gophers with GopherHawk traps.—
Nan Sterman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Noun
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The iconic pickle-on-a-stick is also a hit with guests looking for something quick and easy.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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The menu bears a familiar DNA from chef Misti Norris (formally of Petra and the Beast), with ferments, pickles, and preserves making appearances throughout.—
Nathanael Gassett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Even its final bars of Gregorian chanting, one of many bells and whistles stuffed between the mawkish choruses, can’t lift this track out of the morass.—
Linnie Greene,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
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When their news anchor (Peter Finch) has a nervous breakdown on the air, suddenly their ratings turn around, bringing on a moral morass only some of them are prepared to face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The wind also died down as warm, humid air settled over the old-growth cypress swamp on which the course was built for much of the round before a breeze returned late in the day.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
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About 65 miles away, firefighters continue battling the massive blaze in Clinch County, where the fire has spread rapidly through dry forest and swamp areas, making containment difficult.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Such fluidity also extends to Amrum itself, where the land and water ebb and flow into one another, forming mudflats and murky patches of quicksand.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
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In our view, the only way to escape this play-in quicksand is to pick one of the three aforementioned paths.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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