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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Recent Examples of quagmire
This nation state, my home, is built on a quagmire of lies sold to the young as truths; sold to the insecure as truths; sold by the avaricious, the power-hungry, the conceited, the overwhelmingly white and male.
—
Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Carleton argues that Russell and Tolstoy’s focus on the plight of the individual soldier amid the horror and senselessness of war shaped the public perception of later quagmires, such as World War I and the Vietnam War.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Christine Winter, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2025
Carleton argues that Russell and Tolstoy’s focus on the plight of the individual soldier amid the horror and senselessness of war shaped the public perception of later quagmires, such as World War I and the Vietnam War.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
Noun
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The uncertainty reflects the unique predicament for Senate Democrats.—
David Sivak,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
11 Mar. 2025
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Alec Baldwin suffers from a classic New York predicament.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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The rubber brushes prevent tangles making long term clean up even easier.—
Carlos Mejia,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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By the time France’s Nations League semi-final against Spain comes around in early June, Deschamps will have the usual array of squad composition and team selection dilemmas to contend with.—
Tom Williams,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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But in that time, her husband Mark (Adam Scott) also became severed in order to deal with mourning her loss, and his innie developed a relationship with Helly (Britt Lower) that creates the pivotal dilemma at the end of Season 2.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
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Pittsburgh's popular pickle-prominent party is returning this year.—
Chrissy Suttles,
Axios,
13 Mar. 2025
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Jon Hamm has found himself in quite the pickle.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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While the city is at a crossroads, the job of mayor is shrinking, and with it the likelihood that bold and competent future leadership can lift Chicago from a historic morass.—
Forrest Claypool,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2025
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The legal morass created by this scheme doesn't end there.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
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From the murky swamp to the kingdom of Duloc, Shrek has captured hearts with its wit, adventures and hilarious dialogue.—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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In fact, this is what drawing the swamp actually looks like.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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