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
This is the age-old predicament that rattles around my brain during the holidays.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 17 Dec. 2025
The same goes for the predicament faced by Norm (Moisés Arias), who has been trapped in Vault 31 by Bud’s Brain-on-a-Roomba (Michael Esper).
—Jack King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
The character's love for hijinks and adventure kept longtime viewers on their toes to see how Luke would wriggle out of each escalating predicament next.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025
Weaver knows a little something about Fitzpatrick’s predicament.
—Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predicament
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 17 Dec. 2025
The same goes for the predicament faced by Norm (Moisés Arias), who has been trapped in Vault 31 by Bud’s Brain-on-a-Roomba (Michael Esper).
—Jack King, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
The character's love for hijinks and adventure kept longtime viewers on their toes to see how Luke would wriggle out of each escalating predicament next.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 15 Dec. 2025
Weaver knows a little something about Fitzpatrick’s predicament.
—Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 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 25 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
pri-ˈdik-ə-mənt
: a difficult, puzzling, or trying situation : fix
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share