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

2

: condition, state

especially : a difficult, perplexing, or trying situation

I don't know how we're going to get out of this predicament.

Synonyms of predicament

• dilemma
• pickle

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 on the Web

Back on Earth, the band remain comatose and their predicament triggers an obscure rule of the underworld known as the Coma Clause, which keeps the Gates of Hell open to them for as long as their bodies remain alive. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026

Basically, what Thiel’s doing in his Antichrist speeches is portraying our current predicament as an existential battle between good and evil. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

The institutions may have changed dramatically over time – the human predicament has not. — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026

Their predicament hijacks Irwin’s suburban family life, just as his wife Hester (Scarlett Johansson, not Hathaway) is diagnosed with a sudden illness. — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin praedicamentum, from praedicare — see predicate entry 2

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for predicament

• medicament

Kids Definition

predicament

noun

pre·​dic·​a·​ment pri-ˈdik-ə-mənt 

: a difficult, puzzling, or trying situation : fix