Definition of predicament
1
:the character, status, or classification assigned by a predication;
specifically
:category 1
-
Trending Now:
More Trending:
- dotage, dotard otherwise federalism bodega carceral
- ALL
What's Trending Now
More Trending Words
Read the Latest from M-W
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.
Recent Examples of predicament from the Web
-
About dozen homes on his street and at least a dozen more one street over appeared to be a similar predicament Tuesday.
-
Being undocumented was an experience only to be shared with folks in my same predicament.
-
The predicament of today’s working class is no longer just about the decline in manufacturing jobs.
-
Lewis plays a mute bellboy who keeps getting into predicaments at a Miami hotel.
-
The predicament looks a little different, though, for those manning the narrow-aisled trenches.
-
Casual fans of unlimited hydroplane racing in Seattle can be excused for not knowing about the predicament the sport is in.
-
And to be sure, other than the offense and the head coach, there is little that is stable or enviable about the Raiders’ current predicament.
-
But complacency and the fractures of globalization alone can’t explain our current predicament.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'predicament.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of predicament
predicament Synonyms
Synonyms
bind, box, catch-22, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, impasse, jackpot [chiefly West], jam, mire, pickle, quagmire, rabbit hole, rattrap, spot, sticky wicket, swamp, kettle of fishRelated Words
difficulty, node; hot water, soup; pinch, plight, quandary, scrape, trouble; deadlock, halt, logjam, stalemate, standstill; clutch, crisis, crossroad, emergency, exigency, juncture, straitPREDICAMENT Defined for English Language Learners
predicament
play
noun
Definition of predicament for English Language Learners
-
: a difficult or unpleasant situation
PREDICAMENT Defined for Kids
predicament
play
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
\
pri-ˈdi-kə-mənt
\
Definition of predicament for Students
:a bad situation
Learn More about predicament
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for predicament Spanish Central: Translation of predicament Nglish: Translation of predicament for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of predicament for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up predicament? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!