as in dilemma
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
with both sets of in-laws insisting that we spend Thanksgiving with them, we were on a sticky wicket indeed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sticky wicket
Of philosophy’s many sticky wickets, consciousness is perhaps the most perplexing.
—
Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
To that, timestamps may prove a sticky wicket for a part of Baldoni’s argument against the Times.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
The other sticky wicket in the Paramount-Skydance merger is Trump’s current lawsuit against CBS News.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
That third spot is a sticky wicket for a team projected to be just outside the top five in the game.
—Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK published 18 September 2024
A cricketing powerhouse for decades, Pakistan's national team have suddenly found themselves on a sticky wicket.
—Harriet Marsden, theweek, 18 Sep. 2024
Much of its lexicon sounds both unapproachable and, well, just weird: sticky wicket, googly, yorker, jaffa, daisy cutter, silly mid off, maiden over, tickle, nurdle, trundler, paddle scoop, popping crease, golden duck.
—Chris Heath, The Atlantic, 25 July 2024
While reforms have been proposed in the past under other leaders, they have gotten caught up in a sticky wicket of state bureaucracy.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2024
The situation is a sticky wicket, to use an old-fashioned term from the sport of cricket, for the countless interest groups that depend on money from the budget.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 4 May 2024
Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
To that, timestamps may prove a sticky wicket for a part of Baldoni’s argument against the Times.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025
The other sticky wicket in the Paramount-Skydance merger is Trump’s current lawsuit against CBS News.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
That third spot is a sticky wicket for a team projected to be just outside the top five in the game.
—Eno Sarris, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK published 18 September 2024
A cricketing powerhouse for decades, Pakistan's national team have suddenly found themselves on a sticky wicket.
—Harriet Marsden, theweek, 18 Sep. 2024
Much of its lexicon sounds both unapproachable and, well, just weird: sticky wicket, googly, yorker, jaffa, daisy cutter, silly mid off, maiden over, tickle, nurdle, trundler, paddle scoop, popping crease, golden duck.
—Chris Heath, The Atlantic, 25 July 2024
While reforms have been proposed in the past under other leaders, they have gotten caught up in a sticky wicket of state bureaucracy.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2024
The situation is a sticky wicket, to use an old-fashioned term from the sport of cricket, for the countless interest groups that depend on money from the budget.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 4 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sticky wicket
Noun
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Her bi-monthly AI Logs column explores the latest trends, breakthroughs, and ethical dilemmas in AI, delivering expert analysis and fresh insights.—
The AI Insider,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
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Economists often refer to such situations as a prisoner’s dilemma, in which individuals, businesses, or countries could theoretically benefit from coöperating with one another but also have, or are presented with, incentives to act selfishly and cut their own deals.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
When Peterson pitches, the Mets need to catch the ball, but their poor defense is a major reason for their predicament.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Closures usually only come when a district is facing a financial crisis, and Pollio said JCPS was not in that predicament at the time.—
Krista Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Flavors range from classic dill and bread and butter to the more exotic like maple bourbon, gin, and sweet ginger pickles.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Anyone who has hung out at Cerebral Brewing over the past year is familiar with Outside Pizza, a vintage green and white teardrop trailer that serves Neopolitan-style pies (including the cult favorite pickle pizza) to hungry beer drinkers.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Subscribe now Over the summer, it was widely reported that Reeves was considering a bank windfall tax to shore up a multibillion-pound hole in the public finances.—
Hugh Leask,Chloe Taylor,Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Perhaps Gad will fill a furry hole in the heart of the film.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But options exist to help people manage the bind, depending on income.—
Caitlin McGlade,
AZCentral.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The meeting comes as the central bank is in a bit of a bind, given the recent uptick in inflation that has coincided with a weakening of the job market.—
Zev Fima,Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Go down the very well-to-do rabbit hole of James Thurstan Waterworth, formerly Soho House’s design director, by opting for The Nest (Room 3).—
Chloe Frost-Smith,
Vogue,
24 Sep. 2025
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But who’s to say how far down the rabbit hole of local politics the game is willing to go?—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Timm’s garden is a milkweed buffet with seven different kinds planted throughout, like swamp, ice ballet, cinderella, prairie, poke, common and butterfly milkweed.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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For the first time in 10 years, researchers have discovered a new species of Xenurolebias killifish from an isolated swamp about 2 feet deep in eastern Brazil.—
Lauren Liebhaber
September 23,
Miami Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sticky wicket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sticky%20wicket. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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