Synonyms of quagmire

quagmire

noun

ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r 

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

• predicament
• dilemma
• pickle
• swamp
• hole
• bind
• mire
• corner
• impasse
• jam
• difficulty
• crisis
• box
• fix
• spot
• catch-22
• plight
• rabbit hole
• kettle of fish
• rattrap
• jackpot
• sticky wicket
• trouble
• quandary
• node
• hot water
• soup
• emergency
• deadlock
• stalemate
• standstill
• halt
• strait
• crossroad
• pinch
• exigency
• logjam
• scrape
• juncture
• clutch

2

as in tangle

something that catches and holds

a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tangle
• trap
• morass
• quicksand
• labyrinth
• maze
• web
• entanglement
• noose
• snare
• net
• tanglement
• mesh(es)
• toil(s)
• snarl
• knot
• cobweb
• spiderweb
• cat's cradle

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of quagmire

The president also does not want to be seen by voters as having dragged the United States into another costly Middle East quagmire. — Sam Metz, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026

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

The quagmire in Ukraine and persistent inflation have weighed on sentiment. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 May 2026