as in predicaments
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
well, this is a bit of a pickle we've gotten ourselves into
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Recent Examples of pickles
Working in batches if needed, arrange pickles in a single layer in air-fryer basket (do not overcrowd).
—
Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Jan. 2026
Along with the usual lettuce, tomato and mayo, the inaugural customer creation, introduced for a limited time in July 2025, dressed the brand’s staple burger patty and bun with American cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and pickles with golden onion rings and a smoky BBQ sauce.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Dill pickles can range in taste from salty to tangy and sour, and these pickles fell on the more sour range of that spectrum.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
The menu hinges on large crispy chicken breasts fried in peanut oil at a customizable heat rating, either on a bun with sauce and pickles, or as tenders.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Jan. 2026
Relish tray Before charcuterie boards dominated social media, the centerpiece of a holiday table was the relish tray, full of pickles, celery, carrots, olives, nuts and fruit.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
To get the Benny Blanco drink, customers could add cherry flavor and pickles.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Then she’s trapped by aisles on all sides, boxed in by shelf after shelf of pickles.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Season to taste with salt, and serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar, and pickles if desired.
—Meher Mirza, Saveur, 27 Feb. 2025
Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Jan. 2026
Along with the usual lettuce, tomato and mayo, the inaugural customer creation, introduced for a limited time in July 2025, dressed the brand’s staple burger patty and bun with American cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and pickles with golden onion rings and a smoky BBQ sauce.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 7 Jan. 2026
Dill pickles can range in taste from salty to tangy and sour, and these pickles fell on the more sour range of that spectrum.
—Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026
The menu hinges on large crispy chicken breasts fried in peanut oil at a customizable heat rating, either on a bun with sauce and pickles, or as tenders.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Jan. 2026
Relish tray Before charcuterie boards dominated social media, the centerpiece of a holiday table was the relish tray, full of pickles, celery, carrots, olives, nuts and fruit.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
To get the Benny Blanco drink, customers could add cherry flavor and pickles.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Then she’s trapped by aisles on all sides, boxed in by shelf after shelf of pickles.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Season to taste with salt, and serve hot with coconut chutney, sambar, and pickles if desired.
—Meher Mirza, Saveur, 27 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pickles
Noun
-
Brooks’s screenplay makes ample space to dump praise upon its protagonist while bemoaning her many predicaments.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
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But this is just one of the many predicaments of writing memoir.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Jan. 2026
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The following is a breakdown of those questions and others, and the key personnel dilemmas that remain unsolved as the World Cup nears.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
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More than 200 producers sell seasonal fruit and vegetables, breads and cheeses of every kind, charcuterie, olives and tapenades, quiches, jams, and honey—and that's just the food section.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Jan. 2026
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The album’s maximalist approach, combining an array of live instruments, VSTs, and samplers, sometimes coheres into true jams.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The bald cypress is native to much of the Gulf Coast and across riverine swamps of the Deep South.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Jan. 2026
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More is at stake than preserving the singular beauty of the sawgrass prairies of Everglades National Park or cypress swamps of the Big Cypress National Preserve.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Officers saw multiple bullet holes on the metal fence dividing the properties and shell casings in his backyard, the affidavit said.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
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Add a pass rusher with the first pick, a receiver in Round 2 and then spend heavily on patching holes in free agency.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pickles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pickles. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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