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
The move also kept the players’ cleats from turning the three grass practice fields at their El Segundo facility into a muddy quagmire.
—
Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
The final thematic chapters on security sector reform, economic reorganization, and human rights constitute an excellent short primer for anyone contemplating venturing into this quagmire.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
From Felipe Torres Medina, a staff writer on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, comes this educational and eye-opening look at the quagmire of the immigration system.
—Brian Boone, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Among the many conservatives who support Israel, there is a concern that America could become entangled in a quagmire in Iran.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 25 Dec. 2025
The final thematic chapters on security sector reform, economic reorganization, and human rights constitute an excellent short primer for anyone contemplating venturing into this quagmire.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
From Felipe Torres Medina, a staff writer on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, comes this educational and eye-opening look at the quagmire of the immigration system.
—Brian Boone, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Among the many conservatives who support Israel, there is a concern that America could become entangled in a quagmire in Iran.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
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This year, however, my predicament has grown more urgent.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
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Owner’s Jail, to put it nicely, is the predicament of NFL fans whose team is owned by someone whose stewardship does not inspire great optimism.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In a state with a vast gap between rich and poor, the plan has resulted in a tangle of competing interests at a time when both Democrats and Republicans are struggling to respond to economic anxiety driven by rising costs ahead of this year’s midterm elections.—
MIchael R. Blood,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
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Accessories should be minimal and delicate, to avoid any tangles mid-journey.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Both dilemmas are true for too many of the few cities in Imperial County.—
John Moorlach,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
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That’s because Katerjian works to help those made homeless by the fires and those whose housing dilemma predate the fires while also absorbing the loss of her own Altadena home to the fire.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Some people even shared old photos of Indigenous peoples wearing the hoods, noting that the originators of the design kept the fur outward to break cold wind and trap snow.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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At one point, a trap even caught the wrong bear.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Eating pickles helps with hydration and feeling full due to their high water content.—
Sara Hoffman,
Verywell Health,
13 Jan. 2026
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The most famous is Pickle Rick, a green pickle version of grandpa Rick.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Toronto Raptors, stuck in the morass of teams fighting for playoff/Play-In Tournament seeding, would surely rather finish higher rather than lower.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
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But uneven enforcement and a growing list of exceptions have created a regulatory morass that is stifling the continent’s transformation.—
Eric Schmidt,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
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They can be found in nutrient-poor environments such as bogs, swamps and acidic wetlands, where plants have had no choice but to evolve an alternative strategy for survival.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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At a research station in Athens, the scientists raised monarchs with two different species of milkweed — Asclepias incarnata, or swamp milkweed, and Asclepias curassavica, a tropical variety.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But the quicksand flowed back as soon as the backpacker shoveled it away, Marshall said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Dec. 2025
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Real quicksand is very different from the dramatic portrayals of Hollywood.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
10 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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