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

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2
as in tangle
something that catches and holds a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire

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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 quagmire The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development dropped a bomb on the already difficult-to-navigate quagmire, further complicated by the ongoing legal saga over the freeze. Avery Lotz, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025 Any zealots seeking patriotic appeal would need to grapple with her default arc: a walking moral quagmire. Darren Franich, Vulture, 14 Feb. 2025 Because to my knowledge, there are no architects that got stuck in the quagmire of the Second World War. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2025 There is no single champion for the region, and there is no consensus on how to bring the area out of its quagmire. Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 17 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
  • In fact, Luton are only four points behind Stoke City, yet another top-flight old boy, in 18th place, so there is a path out of this predicament.
    Matt Slater, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
  • The predicament got even worse the following day, when Perez’s RB16 stopped on the formation lap and he was forced to start from the pit-lane.
    Dan Cancian, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Soon enough, this tangle of typical teenage troubles butts up against a sinister alternate universe, the Upside Down.
    Sarah Bahr, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The rubber brushes prevent tangles making long term clean up even easier.
    Carlos Mejia, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The Role of Blockchain Technology and AI This ethical and creative dilemma could find a promising resolution through blockchain technology.
    Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The frustrated bride shared her story on Reddit, detailing her dilemma in a March 22 post on a forum dedicated to wedding planning — and asking for any advice about how to proceed.
    Bailey Richards, People.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Man traps woman in car for days: Police A Hawaii man was arrested for allegedly trapping an elderly woman in her car for several days and later forcing her to withdraw money from her bank account, according to the Honolulu Police Department.
    Megan Forrester, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2025
  • In one scene from their lives, a bear trap is intentionally left for Benjy to wander into it.
    Justin Porter, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The namesake Bad Boy Burger ($11.99) is two quarter-pound patties, bacon, American cheese, Swiss cheese, chili, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup and mustard.
    Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Step 6: Diversify into the golf course and mango pickle industries.
    Judy Berman, Time, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • What’s going on For months, Tesla has been struggling with a public relations morass due to Musk’s central role in the White House.
    Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The manuals of government departments provide intricate guidelines and procedures, totaling an intimidating morass of rules—guidebooks that the bureaucracy can use to justify its actions, or lack thereof.
    Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Search and recovery efforts continue for the fourth U.S. Army soldier who went missing in Lithuania last week when a U.S. armored vehicle was submerged in a swamp during a training mission.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The fourth and final missing U.S. soldier whose armored vehicle sank in a swamp in Lithuania last week was found deceased Tuesday.
    Greg Norman, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • From sticky asphalt graves to dinosaur-eating quicksand, these sites reveal how nature sometimes sets its own snares, and how life—on a mass scale—meets its end.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Lawsuits piling up from unions and states underscore the legal quicksand Musk has stepped into. California cannot afford such recklessness.
    Zac Townsend, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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