predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment pri-ˈdi-kə-mənt 
sense 1 is usually ˈpre-di-kə-
1
: the character, status, or classification assigned by a predication
specifically : category sense 1
2
: condition, state
especially : a difficult, perplexing, or trying situation
Synonyms
- bind
- box
- catch-22
- corner
- dilemma
- fix
- hole
- impasse
- jackpot [chiefly West]
- jam
- mire
- pickle
- quagmire
- rabbit hole
- rattrap
- spot
- sticky wicket
- swamp
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The captain of archers fidgeted and coughed and rolled his eyes at his men, as if such cupidity and dishonor were an inevitable but minor aspect of the human predicament … 
Michael Chabon, New York Times Magazine, 6 May 2007 We saw photographs that week of buildings burning, stunned onlookers, dust-covered firemen. Very few pictures conveyed the fact that people just like us, our fellow passengers on the subway, suddenly found themselves in a mortal predicament and many died horribly. Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book Review, 3 Sept. 2006 The President found himself in the backwash of earlier deals, and the demands of secrecy made his predicament the more vexing. Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters, 1988 The governor has gotten himself into quite a predicament. I don't know how to get out of the predicament I'm in.
Michael Chabon, New York Times Magazine, 6 May 2007 We saw photographs that week of buildings burning, stunned onlookers, dust-covered firemen. Very few pictures conveyed the fact that people just like us, our fellow passengers on the subway, suddenly found themselves in a mortal predicament and many died horribly. Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book Review, 3 Sept. 2006 The President found himself in the backwash of earlier deals, and the demands of secrecy made his predicament the more vexing. Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters, 1988 The governor has gotten himself into quite a predicament. I don't know how to get out of the predicament I'm in. Recent Examples on the Web Laughter can be subversive, of course, and one of the great satisfactions of these films is watching so many women laugh — often guffawing, not tittering — through one predicament after another. New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022 If anything, the outgoing trickle of particles worsens the predicament. George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 The big discrepancy between recycling and access rates is partly explained by the predicament in which some disposal companies find themselves. Saabira Chaudhuri, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2022 But, this Netflix doc will show how Te'o's predicament went deeper than Facebook messages. Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 16 Aug. 2022 Neither homeownership nor renting are currently able to meet most people’s needs, wrote Andreessen in his post, a predicament that COVID made more complicated. Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2022 Coach Greg Wheeler confirmed Sunday his team’s predicament, which forced the cancellation of the Railroaders’ Week 1 trip to Akron North. Matt Goul, cleveland, 14 Aug. 2022 Strata had seen a Facebook post about Baker’s predicament and offered to help with the permit process. Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News, 13 Aug. 2022 How did the party, and the rest of us, get into this predicament anyway? Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022 See More
New York Times, 19 Aug. 2022 If anything, the outgoing trickle of particles worsens the predicament. George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2022 The big discrepancy between recycling and access rates is partly explained by the predicament in which some disposal companies find themselves. Saabira Chaudhuri, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2022 But, this Netflix doc will show how Te'o's predicament went deeper than Facebook messages. Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 16 Aug. 2022 Neither homeownership nor renting are currently able to meet most people’s needs, wrote Andreessen in his post, a predicament that COVID made more complicated. Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2022 Coach Greg Wheeler confirmed Sunday his team’s predicament, which forced the cancellation of the Railroaders’ Week 1 trip to Akron North. Matt Goul, cleveland, 14 Aug. 2022 Strata had seen a Facebook post about Baker’s predicament and offered to help with the permit process. Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News, 13 Aug. 2022 How did the party, and the rest of us, get into this predicament anyway? Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The New Republic, 9 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Late Latin praedicamentum, from praedicare — see predicate entry 2
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment pri-ˈdi-kə-mənt
: a bad situation
predicament
noun
as in dilemma
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape if you had told the truth in the first place, we wouldn't be in this predicament Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dilemma
- pickle
- hole
- bind
- swamp
- difficulty
- impasse
- quagmire
- corner
- plight
- crisis
- jam
- fix
- mire
- box
- spot
- catch-22
- quandary
- sticky wicket
- rattrap
- jackpot
- rabbit hole
- trouble
- kettle of fish
- hot water
- soup
- emergency
- node
- deadlock
- exigency
- stalemate
- standstill
- pinch
- crossroad
- logjam
- juncture
- strait
- halt
- clutch
- scrape
