quagmire

noun

ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r How to pronounce quagmire (audio)
Definition of quagmirenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in tangle
something that catches and holds a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of quagmire With a day to digest the defeat, the Spurs’ message at Thursday’s media session was that their play in Game 1 was out of character, especially in a 40-point quagmire of a second half. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 5 June 2026 Neither resulted in lasting security improvements and instead left indelible, traumatic scars on Israel’s collective consciousness, creating the image of Lebanon as a quagmire into which Israel has been repeatedly drawn. — Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 1 June 2026 International sporting competitions such as the International Olympic Committee, meanwhile, have condemned the concept as a moral and ethical quagmire. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 28 May 2026 The quagmire in Ukraine and persistent inflation have weighed on sentiment. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
  1. predicament
  2. tangle
  3. dilemma
  4. trap
  5. pickle
  6. morass
  7. swamp
  8. quicksand
Noun
  • Masterson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010, blaming his financial predicament on a former employee’s errors.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
  • And over a thousand people were in that predicament when her wedding to Travis Kelce rolled around.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 July 2026
Definition of predicament
Noun
  • Luria, however, worried about that tangle of investments which bind the AI giants to their own customers; the love triangle of Google, Amazon and Anthropic; Microsoft and OpenAI, Nvidia and CoreWeave.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 23 July 2026
  • During this time, the brain starts to shrink, and the misfolded proteins that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s begin to build up — sticky amyloid beta plaques in the brain and tau tangles in neurons.
    — Richard Sima, Washington Post, 21 July 2026
Definition of tangle
Noun
  • The dilemma came amid financial woes at Western Hills Water District.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2026
  • Gilmore, of Marathon Sports, captured the dilemma that American runners face in the meantime.
    — Scott Douglas, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of dilemma
Noun
  • But their journey to catch up with the Rivermen proves increasingly difficult, after one of their horses gets caught in a trap.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 20 July 2026
  • Hamilton, minding his own business, had nowhere to go, and Russell clipped him and then spun into the gravel trap.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 20 July 2026
Definition of trap
Noun
  • The wine’s dark fruit reaches the beef, while its savory edge accommodates the turmeric pickles on the plate.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix offered downtown visitors a surprise escape from pickle overload during this year’s Picklesburgh festival, turning Market Square into a living museum of automotive history.
    — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 20 July 2026
Definition of pickle
Noun
  • But a nine-game winning streak heading into the break placed the team a half-game back in the morass of mediocrity known as the AL Wild Card race.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Most of Future’s peers in the post-Lil Wayne digital-trap era of the early 2010s, from fellow Atlanta stars Young Thug and 2 Chainz to Southern boldfaced names like Kodak Black and Kevin Gates, have faded back into the regional-rap morass.
    — Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2026
Definition of morass
Noun
  • Yet somehow, two decades later, the viciously antisemitic Vichy regime planted itself in power; a shocking betrayal by France of some of its most loyal and generous supporters, in a dehumanizing toxic swamp of suspicion, judgment, envy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
  • Found over the eastern half of the state in swamps and sluggish waterways, coastal marshes, rivers, ponds and streams.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • The Moon may not be coated by miles-deep quicksand, but it is covered with countless microscopic knives.
    — Elijah Tan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
  • Don’t fall into the quicksand of using AI as a replacement for your own mental engagement.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026
Definition of quicksand

Browse Nearby Words

quaffs
quagmire
quagmires
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Cite this Entry

“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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