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
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
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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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Mar. 2026
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Ownership’s choice to have Brzezinski oversee these weighty dilemmas in the aftermath of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing was not random.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In an improbable feat of dexterity, the American fingerstyle guitarist interprets the work of the UK electronic savants, finding graceful new forms in their brain-bending tangles.—
Sam Sodomsky,
Pitchfork,
6 Mar. 2026
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Or even the kind of people who keep a hexagonal pencil within reach at all times in case of tape tangles.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Winning from behind is not sustainable, and the predicaments in which Chelsea have found themselves this week point to other problems.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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Rustin has slyly given her script a focus on women’s needs and feelings, a welcome departure for a genre that usually is more concerned about the men’s predicaments.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Saudi Aramco has offered prompt crude supply through a series of rare tenders, as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz traps shipments and forces a rerouting of flows via the Red Sea.—
Yongchang Chin,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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That mulch covering the not-so-lovely fabric traps wayward weed seeds and nurtures them.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The six-hour event at Art History Brewing in Geneva was offered by the Streetz Artz Alliance group and featured more than a dozen local artisans whose products ranged from hot sauce and custom woodwork to body care products, jewelry, bread, pickles and more.—
David Sharos,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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Burd, who hates pickles, was hesitant to eat it and felt like throwing up.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Left unmentioned was Duke’s earlier legal entanglements with its men’s lacrosse program.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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The president who once vowed to avoid foreign entanglements is now flexing his muscles abroad.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Originally a mix of swamps and lagoons, Albert Park received its name in 1864 to honor Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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From the Georgia swamps to the Appalachian Mountains to the Texas Hill Country, our dramatic regional landscapes are driving forces in many of the best Southern books for children and serve as catalysts for the actions and emotions of the characters.—
Libby Monteith Minor,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The peak of this dome occurred when the Hall coefficient changed sign, indicating that the dominant charge carriers switched from holes to electrons.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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One of those holes is the WNBA’s low pay, which forced players to supplement their income by playing overseas when the league was not in season.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quagmires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmires. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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