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
Synonyms
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
But amid the divisive debate surrounding immigration policy in a U.S. election year, there is no consensus on what lesson to draw from the experiences of the Guerrero family and others in similar predicaments.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
But her reign—longer than any other British monarch in history—has set the stage for much of the predicament the royal family finds itself in today.
—Alexander Larman, TIME, 5 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for predicament 
Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
But her reign—longer than any other British monarch in history—has set the stage for much of the predicament the royal family finds itself in today.
—Alexander Larman, TIME, 5 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for predicament
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'predicament.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near predicament
Cite this Entry
“Predicament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predicament. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
pri-ˈdik-ə-mənt
: a difficult, puzzling, or trying situation : fix
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