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
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
The Philadelphia Phillies have landed in an interesting predicament with free-agent pitcher Ranger Suárez.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Over the past six weeks, RTD managers’ discussions with the directors revealed the troubling financial predicament with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in costs for deferred maintenance and repair, largely along RTD’s rail lines.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
At its core, Tehran’s predicament stems from a chronic mismatch between supply and demand, driven by rapid population growth.
—Ali Mirchi, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
Spacey likened his predicament to the experiences of actors of yore, who were swept into the Hollywood blacklist as a result of McCarthyism.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predicament
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Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
Over the past six weeks, RTD managers’ discussions with the directors revealed the troubling financial predicament with hundreds of millions of dollars a year in costs for deferred maintenance and repair, largely along RTD’s rail lines.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 3 Dec. 2025
At its core, Tehran’s predicament stems from a chronic mismatch between supply and demand, driven by rapid population growth.
—Ali Mirchi, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
Spacey likened his predicament to the experiences of actors of yore, who were swept into the Hollywood blacklist as a result of McCarthyism.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 27 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predicament
Cite this Entry
“Predicament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predicament. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
pri-ˈdik-ə-mənt
: a difficult, puzzling, or trying situation : fix
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