If you describe an unpleasant or confused situation as a morass, you mean that it seems impossible to escape from or resolve, because it has become so serious or so complicated.
I tried to drag myself out of the morass of despair. [+ of]
...the economic morass.
Synonyms: mess, confusion, chaos, jam [informal] More Synonyms of morass
More Synonyms of morass
morass in British English
(məˈræs)
noun
1.
a tract of swampy low-lying land
2.
a disordered or muddled situation or circumstance, esp one that impedes progress
Word origin
C17: from Dutch moeras, ultimately from Old French maraismarsh
morass in American English
(məˈræs; mɔˈræs)
noun
a tract of low, soft, watery ground; bog; marsh; swamp
often used figuratively of a difficult, troublesome, or perplexing state of affairs
Word origin
Du moeras, a marsh, fen; earlier marasch < OFr maresc < Frank *marisk, a swamp, akin to marsh
Examples of 'morass' in a sentence
morass
That shutdown came just as the company was sinking into a financial morass.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Few involved are emerging from the overall economic morass with dignity intact.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
When sifting the morass of medical information, patients need signposts they can trust.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
That's a farcical bureaucratic morass.
The Sun (2009)
With 1.4 billion members, there is a morass of information to sort through.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
1 (noun)
Definition
a disordered, confusing, or muddled state of affairs
I tried to drag myself out of the morass of despair.
Synonyms
mess
I've got myself into a bit of a mess.
confusion
The rebel leader seems to have escaped in the confusion.
chaos
The country appears to be sliding towards chaos.
jam (informal)
It could get the government out of a jam.
tangle
I was thinking what a tangle we had got ourselves into.
mix-up
a mix-up over travel arrangements
muddle
My thoughts are all in a muddle.
quagmire
a political quagmire
2 (noun)
Definition
a tract of swampy low-lying land
a morass of gooey mud
Synonyms
marsh
a recently reclaimed saltwater marsh
swamp
Much of the land is desert or swamp.
bog
We walked steadily across moor and bog.
slough
fen
Peat is growing in the fen.
moss (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect)
quagmire
Overnight rain had turned the grass airstrip into a quagmire.
marshland
muskeg (Canadian)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bog
Definition
a wet spongy area of land
We walked steadily across moor and bog.
Synonyms
marsh,
moss (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect),
swamp,
slough,
wetlands,
fen,
mire,
quagmire,
morass,
marshland,
peat bog,
pakihi (New Zealand),
muskeg (Canadian)
in the sense of chaos
Definition
complete disorder or confusion
The country appears to be sliding towards chaos.
Synonyms
disorder,
confusion,
mayhem,
havoc (informal),
anarchy,
lawlessness,
pandemonium,
entropy,
bedlam,
tumult,
disorganization
in the sense of confusion
Definition
disorder
The rebel leader seems to have escaped in the confusion.
Synonyms
disorder,
chaos,
turmoil,
upheaval,
muddle,
bustle,
shambles,
disarray,
commotion,
disorganization,
disarrangement
Nearby words of
morass
moral fibre
morale
morality
morass
moratorium
morbid
mordant
Synonyms of 'morass'
morass
Explore 'morass' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of fen
Definition
low-lying flat marshy land
Peat is growing in the fen.
Synonyms
marsh,
moss (Scottish),
swamp,
bog,
slough,
quagmire,
holm (dialect),
morass,
pakihi (New Zealand),
muskeg (Canadian)
in the sense of jam
Definition
a difficult situation
It could get the government out of a jam.
Synonyms
predicament,
tight spot,
scrape (informal),
corner,
state,
situation,
trouble,
spot (informal),
hole (slang),
fix (informal),
bind,
emergency,
mess,
dilemma,
pinch,
plight,
strait,
hot water,
pickle (informal),
deep water,
quandary
in the sense of mix-up
Definition
a confused condition or situation
a mix-up over travel arrangements
Synonyms
confusion,
mistake,
misunderstanding,
mess,
tangle,
muddle,
jumble,
fankle (Scottish)
in the sense of muddle
Definition
a state of mental confusion or uncertainty
My thoughts are all in a muddle.
Synonyms
confusion,
mess,
disorder,
chaos,
plight,
tangle,
mix-up,
clutter,
disarray,
daze,
predicament,
jumble,
ravel,
perplexity,
disorganization,
hotchpotch,
hodgepodge,
pig's breakfast (informal),
fankle (Scottish)
in the sense of muskeg
Definition
an area of undrained boggy land
Synonyms
swamp,
bog,
marsh,
quagmire,
moss (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect),
slough,
fen,
mire,
morass,
everglade(s) (US),
pakihi (New Zealand)
in the sense of quagmire
a political quagmire
Synonyms
predicament,
difficulty,
quandary,
pass,
fix (informal),
jam (informal),
dilemma,
pinch,
plight,
scrape (informal),
muddle,
pickle (informal),
impasse,
entanglement,
imbroglio
in the sense of quagmire
Definition
a soft wet area of land that gives way under the feet
Overnight rain had turned the grass airstrip into a quagmire.
Synonyms
bog,
marsh,
swamp,
slough,
fen,
mire,
morass,
quicksand,
muskeg (Canadian)
in the sense of swamp
Definition
an area of permanently waterlogged land
Much of the land is desert or swamp.
Synonyms
bog,
marsh,
quagmire,
moss (Scottish, NorthernEngland, dialect),
slough,
fen,
mire,
morass,
everglade(s) (US),
pakihi (New Zealand),
muskeg (Canadian)
in the sense of tangle
Definition
a complicated problem or situation
I was thinking what a tangle we had got ourselves into.