1
as in predicament
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
the party was once again facing its quadrennial quagmire: the candidate sufficiently liberal to win the nomination would be too liberal for the general election
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Recent Examples of quagmire
There has been plenty of rightful crowing about the quagmire that is college athletics, most of it directly traceable to the money – the death of senior night, overrecruiting, tampering, transferring and what can only be described as a nearly uncrossable chasm between the haves and have nots.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Some members of Congress want to exclude lines from state or certain environmental reviews, while some tech companies are trying to build their own power plants, or next to one, in part to avoid a quagmire.
—Marc Levy, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026
Will Trump’s growing flirtations with American boots on the ground risk a quagmire that will swallow American lives and souls similar to the experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Then the war curdled into a quagmire that destabilized the region, drained American lives and treasure, boosted Iran, and helped fuel a wave of radicalization whose repercussions still ripple through global politics.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026
Some members of Congress want to exclude lines from state or certain environmental reviews, while some tech companies are trying to build their own power plants, or next to one, in part to avoid a quagmire.
—Marc Levy, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2026
Will Trump’s growing flirtations with American boots on the ground risk a quagmire that will swallow American lives and souls similar to the experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq?
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Then the war curdled into a quagmire that destabilized the region, drained American lives and treasure, boosted Iran, and helped fuel a wave of radicalization whose repercussions still ripple through global politics.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
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This is the current predicament of Pahlavi, whose royal charisma has never been more on the line.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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One thing the two men could agree on was that this whole predicament was Jimmy Buffett’s fault.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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He was involved in assembling Epstein's complex web of businesses, properties and legal teams for a voluminous tangle of civil and criminal matters.—
Graham Kates,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
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Chapek’s woes as Disney chief have been well documented, from his tangles in Florida to an ugly public spat with Scarlett Johansson to alienating top executives by removing creative decision-making authority in a hugely unpopular restructuring.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Despite all the developments since the FOMC’s last meeting, Boston College economics professor Brian Bethune said the Fed’s dilemma has not changed.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
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Helen is said to have sacrificed a promising acting career to star in her husband’s films and raise their kids, adding an interesting wrinkle to Ula’s dilemma about breaking the news of her next gig to her parents.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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What the trap revealed, aside from being the first of its kind to be discovered in picturesque surroundings, was a terrible ordeal for whale and human alike.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Mar. 2026
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Inspectors found a dead rodent on an at-home sticky trap and noted that the back area smelled of rodent urine.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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So, given the resemblance, why weren’t the Jam in a pickle?—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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Dill for digestion, fish dishes of all manners, and knock-your-socks-off garlicy pickles.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When their news anchor (Peter Finch) has a nervous breakdown on the air, suddenly their ratings turn around, bringing on a moral morass only some of them are prepared to face.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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And that concludes our journey through the morass.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These mammals are found across North America, residing in every kind of habitat from hardwood forests to coastal plains to swamps.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
16 Mar. 2026
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Its property is not far from 1,830 acres of swamp that is designated for the C-11 Impoundment Project, which is part of the sweeping Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For anyone who wants the contouring feel of memory foam without the full quicksand effect, the Saatva Loom & Leaf makes a strong case.—
Bailey Berg,
Architectural Digest,
10 Mar. 2026
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The National Park Service issued a warning about the presence of hazardous quicksand areas near the shoreline and at drainages in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which spans across both Arizona and Utah.—
Jessica Mekles,
FOXNews.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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