1
as in dilemmas
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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2
as in tangles
something that catches and holds
a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quagmires
Jeane used the example not to say that any of the three were in danger of closing, but to point out one of the enrollment quagmires in the district that covers 70 square miles.
—
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Despite a few diversions along the way, Minney keeps returning to craft as a solution to fashion’s many quagmires.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
But these occupations soon became bloody quagmires, with hundreds of military and tens of thousands of civilian casualties.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
But this is the wrong time for political sideshows or ethical quagmires.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Despite a few diversions along the way, Minney keeps returning to craft as a solution to fashion’s many quagmires.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2026
But these occupations soon became bloody quagmires, with hundreds of military and tens of thousands of civilian casualties.
—Mo Rocca, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
But this is the wrong time for political sideshows or ethical quagmires.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmires
Noun
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But neither option, Kuntz explained, seems likely to resolve Hollywood’s dilemmas.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
15 June 2026
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Lead executives Jon Wallace and Ben Tenzer will be dealing with far more pressing dilemmas on draft night and in the days that follow, but they’re also tasked with using the low-value pick to locate someone who can help Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets win immediately.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Those tests include amyloid and tau PET scans to help detect amyloid plaque and tau tangles in the brain, while allowing for earlier detection and monitoring disease progression, according to the American Brain Foundation.—
Wendy Coschignano-Ford,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 June 2026
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Before 2014, bull kelp—a whip-like kelp with bulbous air bladders and trailing blades —stretched across Northern California’s coastline in dense tangles.—
Tatjana Baleta,
Time,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Rather than bridging shortfalls, both Seattle and Washington now face more difficult fiscal predicaments, Joblon said.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
18 May 2026
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The madman strategy is for not-crazy leaders caught in adverse predicaments.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Golden State sent more traps than usual and didn’t allow the former Notre Dame standout to get clean looks at the rim or from the 3-point line.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
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That changed rapidly as Argentina flew out of the traps and picked apart their jaded opponents, going 2-0 up after 36 minutes, with the first goal a Messi penalty.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
Noun
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Those with the most pickles by weight will face off for the title of Baron of Bobbing.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
-
Layer the onions, 2 to 3 bacon pieces, and 2 to 3 pickles over the patty.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Noun
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While whaling is no longer a threat to the species, their existence is still threatened by ship strikes, entanglements in fishing gear, underwater noise and the effects of climate change, according to the NOAA.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
22 June 2026
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After all, Cancer season puts shared resources, debts, intimate affairs and emotional entanglements under the spotlight.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
21 June 2026
Noun
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These many watering holes are reflective of the Lone Star state's varied geographic regions, from bald cypress swamps to mountainous desert lakes.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
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From the pine forests and black swamps to the marsh flats and on to the Gulf, the refuge burgeons with life in ways hard to explain to someone who hasn’t been there.—
Jeff VanderMeer,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Noun
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These familiar, turbulent morasses of swirling droplets continue to stymie scientists.—
Joseph Howlett,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quagmires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmires. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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