as in dilemma
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
shoreline residents are finding themselves helplessly falling down a rabbit hole in their Sisyphean efforts to halt beach erosion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 rabbit hole
What ensued was a journey down the psychic rabbit hole that would bring him from plant neurobiologists to stream-of-conscious novelists, AI laboratories, and even a Zen Roshi’s cave.
—
Nick Hilden, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2026
Scroll through the posts and just try to escape the rabbit hole.
—Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2026
Congratulations—you've finally reached the bottom of this particular rabbit hole.
—Susan Hall Mahon, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
Some creators go even deeper down the rabbit hole, suggesting that a puffy face is a telltale sign of an autoimmune or hormonal disorder like adrenal dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, or Hashimoto’s disease.
—Georgia Casey, Allure, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rabbit hole
Nick Hilden, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2026
Scroll through the posts and just try to escape the rabbit hole.
—Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 20 Feb. 2026
Congratulations—you've finally reached the bottom of this particular rabbit hole.
—Susan Hall Mahon, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
Some creators go even deeper down the rabbit hole, suggesting that a puffy face is a telltale sign of an autoimmune or hormonal disorder like adrenal dysfunction, polycystic ovary syndrome, or Hashimoto’s disease.
—Georgia Casey, Allure, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rabbit hole
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rabbit hole
Noun
-
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,
30 Mar. 2026
-
For the present, we’re saddled with the unwieldy dilemma of there being eight major Democratic candidates and just two Republicans.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Lee said financial pressure on cities has contributed to DART’s predicament this year, and simply moving money around won’t help.—
Lilly Kersh,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Councilmember Kent Lee said this winter that the dire predicament facing the city’s Transportation Department should have been the centerpiece of the campaign for a 2024 ballot measure to raise the city’s sales tax.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
A little girl who loved green aliens, drinking pickle juice and picking buttercups in the field with her mom.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Megan Thee Stallion is a genuine fan of the product — she was publicly spotted combining Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with actual pickles before any brand partnership existed.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Just two weeks ago, Gary Woodland decided ot shared his struggles with post traumatic stress disorder, brought on after a September 2023 surgery, which involved a baseball-sized hole cut from the side of his head, to remove a brain lesion.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Canales admits the loss of Robinson leaves a hole in the defensive line rotation.—
Mike Kaye
March 30,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The tannins in coffee bind to non-heme iron (the type found in most supplements) and form complexes that are difficult for your body to absorb.—
Lauren Manaker,
SELF,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The bread bakery that sits in the middle If stores aren’t willing to raise prices, that puts wholesalers in a bind.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
All seagrasses descend from a group of flowering plants that includes the arums and water plantains, many of which grow in swamps or along streams.—
David George Haskell,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
During a livestream of an airboat tour of a Florida swamp, Peters and a friend repeatedly fired handguns at an alligator.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
On the corner of Fairway Drive and Texas 26, a stage was set up where a slew of speakers stepped up to invigorate the crowd.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
-
With summer just around the corner, now is the perfect moment to stock up on warm-weather needs, whether that means outfitting your spring wardrobe or upgrading your hydration game.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rabbit hole.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rabbit%20hole. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
