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

Synonyms

• 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

And as of this July, 58% of Gen Z students globally who finished college in the past year were still trying to find stable work, compared to 25% of millennials and Gen Xers who faced the same predicament. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025

The mayor’s office declined to comment on the predicament, as did the Summit, the president of the Broadway Station Metropolitan Districts, and Denver’s Urban Renewal Authority. —Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025

There seems to be a single answer to every predicament in which a writer might find herself; reached an impasse in your manuscript? —Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025

Carson Beck has been in this predicament before. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2025

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