quagmire

noun

ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r How to pronounce quagmire (audio)
Definition of quagmirenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 With a day to digest the defeat, the Spurs’ message at Thursday’s media session was that their play in Game 1 was out of character, especially in a 40-point quagmire of a second half. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 5 June 2026 International sporting competitions such as the International Olympic Committee, meanwhile, have condemned the concept as a moral and ethical quagmire. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 28 May 2026 Neither resulted in lasting security improvements and instead left indelible, traumatic scars on Israel’s collective consciousness, creating the image of Lebanon as a quagmire into which Israel has been repeatedly drawn. — Asher Kaufman, The Conversation, 1 June 2026 SpaceX is, however, facing competition from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, which is building a lander hat hews much closer to the simpler, Apollo-era lunar landers than the gargantuan, engineering quagmire that is Starship. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for quagmire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmire
  1. predicament
  2. tangle
  3. dilemma
  4. trap
  5. pickle
  6. morass
  7. swamp
  8. quicksand
Noun
  • The combination of Olise’s footwork and Mbappé’s speed creates a don’t-know-where-to-turn predicament for France’s opponents.
    — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026
  • Potential romantic entanglement aside, these two have seriously different perspectives on Paula’s predicament.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 1 July 2026
Definition of predicament
Noun
  • They’re immediately pulled into a tangle of police reports, hospital notifications, insurance calls, and legal questions that can feel impossible to sort through while grieving.
    — William Jones, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 June 2026
  • Richie Laryea for Canada burst into the box in a good position but was brought to ground amid a tangle of legs with South Africa’s Khuliso Mudau.
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of tangle
Noun
  • Deciding whether to include a second job on your resume is a common dilemma, as hiring managers often disagree on such details.
    — Caroline Ceniza-Levine, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • As open source models become more capable, governments are going to face a real dilemma about what to do about them.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 July 2026
Definition of dilemma
Noun
  • The heat wave is making a bad air-quality situation worse as a high-pressure system traps soot and fine particles close to the ground instead of dispersing them.
    — Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The safety car came out to allow the Red Bull to be recovered from the gravel trap it was parked in.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 6 July 2026
Definition of trap
Noun
  • Here, instead of the mustard that’s included in many classic potato salad recipes, sour cream, vinegar, and briny pickles team up to lend a lovely amount of tartness to cut through the richness of the potatoes, eggs, and mayo.
    — Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
  • On one half of each pita bread, arrange some crunchy lettuce leaves, a slice of gouda and two pickle slices, followed by one thick tomato slab and two more pickle slices.
    — Laura Mclively, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
Definition of pickle
Noun
  • Infrastructure costs and decreasing water sales left the authority with a budget morass and few options but to keep piling on big rate increases.
    — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2026
  • Though many might assume that the FDA is right on top of the morass of AI apps that claim to provide mental health or well-being advisement, this is decidedly not the case.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 June 2026
Definition of morass
Noun
  • As whole house fans and swamp coolers can suck additional pollutants inside, the department recommends using air purifiers or air conditioners as alternatives when possible.
    — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Some of the most important pollinator plants in Connecticut include bee balm, buttonbush, columbine, geranium, goldenrod, highbush blueberry, New England aster, New Jersey tea and swamp milkweed.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026
Definition of swamp
Noun
  • Don’t fall into the quicksand of using AI as a replacement for your own mental engagement.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 16 June 2026
  • There are reasons the 2026 Giants aren’t trapped in the same quicksand as the Mets, Phillies or Red Sox, and those reasons are encouraging.
    — Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of quicksand

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Cite this Entry

“Quagmire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmire. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of quagmire for Spanish Speakers

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