1
as in dilemmas
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 tangles
something that catches and holds
a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quagmires
But these occupations soon became bloody quagmires, with hundreds of military and tens of thousands of civilian casualties.
—
Mo Rocca, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
But this is the wrong time for political sideshows or ethical quagmires.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Mo Rocca, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
But this is the wrong time for political sideshows or ethical quagmires.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quagmires
Noun
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To help resolve these dilemmas, European industry leaders are calling for government support, including subsidies and tax breaks, to level the playing field with Chinese competitors whose products come at unbeatable prices.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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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
Noun
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To him, the vision seemed right — not in the specific locations activated by various themes but in the sense that our neuroanatomy did seem to parse the world by subject, tangles and folds of neurons lighting up in response to clouds of ideas.—
Eric Boodman,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
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Chapek’s woes as Disney chief have been well documented, from his tangles in Florida to an ugly public spat with Scarlett Johansson to alienating top executives by removing creative decision-making authority in a hugely unpopular restructuring.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Journeys that used to take entire seasons were being covered in single episodes, characters survived predicaments that once meant surefire death, and previously relevant factors like supplies, infrastructure, and alliances no longer mattered.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
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Victorian novels made good use of the predicaments of second and third sons, who had to become ministers or soldiers or schemers, and daughters who needed to be married off according to age.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When insurers pull out or double their rates, the resulting lack of affordable coverage stalls recovery and traps families in deep financial pits.—
Carlos Curbelo,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
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Indoors, opt for light traps, sticky traps, and bug catchers that can capture those who have broken in.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Over the decades, children have given up everything from sunflower seeds to pickles.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
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With about 100 vendors, there is a little bit of everything here, from jewelry to pickles and hot sauce to collectible items like coins and comic books.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With Mercury meeting both Saturn and Mars in your eighth house of transformation, financial matters, debts or emotional entanglements could demand more of your attention.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
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Quite the opposite, Beijing regards American entanglements in the Middle East over the past decades—including the now metastasizing crisis in Iran—as a cautionary tale.—
Ali Wyne,
Time,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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The pygmy hippopotamus, once thought to surface in the swamps, is believed to be extinct.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Nelly Korda birdied her final two holes to shoot a 69 to move to 5 under and in second place, setting up a final pairing of friendly rivals.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
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These small black beetles chew holes in leaves and stunt the plants.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quagmires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quagmires. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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