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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2
as in tangle
something that catches and holds a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire

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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 Hamas provoked the Israelis into a quagmire in Gaza by brutally raping and murdering young concertgoers and kidnapping families from their kibbutzes. Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025 This contradicts the precedent set by prior direct payments, such as the Covid-19 stimulus checks, which were heavily weighted toward lower-income Americans and could create a political quagmire for Trump. Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025 The main conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has struggled to win over moderate, swing voters as his People Power Party remains in a quagmire of internal feuding over how to view Yoon's actions. Arkansas Online, 3 June 2025 The Squadron 42 quagmire The initial concept behind Squadron 42 was a tutorial segment that would gently introduce players to the game's mechanics and feed them some in-game rewards upon completion. Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
  • Considering its financial predicament and wealth of center backs, Barca could be tempted to sell the South American warhorse if a European rival tables his asking price.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
  • But by making plain that the students were a token in his trade war, Trump only increased the uncertainty of their predicament.
    Lavender Au, The Atlantic, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • In my experience, most sea salt sprays require some sort of trade-off: either tons of volume but tangles, or great wave definition but very little body.
    Ariel Wodarcyk, Glamour, 26 June 2025
  • One of the most aggressive garden invaders, bindweed rapidly rambles through perennials and shrubs, creating a leafy tangle of stems and foliage.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 June 2025
Noun
  • The feed surfaces chats containing legal dilemmas, therapy discussions, and deeply personal confessions, often linked to real accounts.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
  • The dilemma GenAI faces is similar to past hyped technology cycles like IoT or blockchain.
    Leonard Lee, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • Wolves are killed across the Northern Rockies using steel-jawed traps, neck snares, packs of dogs and even snowmobiles.
    Jim Martin, Denver Post, 27 June 2025
  • Furthermore, Indigenous peoples used Amelanchier branches to craft arrow shafts, baskets, ropes, fish traps, and tools for unearthing root crops, writes Jeffrey A. Hart.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2025
Noun
  • The vinegar used to quick pickle the onions also adds a vinegary pungency to the salad, and dill and basil work together to add fresh and herbaceous notes.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 11 July 2025
  • Some foods and drinks high in electrolytes include watermelon, coconut water, leafy green vegetables, bone broth, pickles, and more.
    Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • There are no pairs of tidily poetic contradictions, but a morass of inner conflict, uncertainty, pain, and relief.
    Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 27 June 2025
  • Tax administration is often written off as a bureaucratic morass—a neutral, technocratic function made necessary by the modern state but best kept as small as possible.
    Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • That was soon followed by airborne training and then Ranger school, a notoriously grueling nine-week program that includes three weeks each at Fort Benning, in the mountains of Georgia, and in the swamps of Florida.
    Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
  • The detention camp will place thousands of immigrants in wire cages in a humidity-intense swamp that is all but inaccessible to hospital ambulances, and where the summertime heat index can soar above 100 degrees.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 July 2025
Noun
  • These moves chip away at the 188,000 pages bloating the Code of Federal Regulations, freeing businesses and families from bureaucratic quicksand.
    Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
  • But the question of who’s going to kill or get killed ultimately proves less important than how their pasts have shaped these men — or rather trapped them, like quicksand.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 20 June 2025

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“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.

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