quagmire
Americannoun
-
an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.
-
a situation from which extrication is very difficult.
a quagmire of financial indebtedness.
- Synonyms:
- jam, scrape, quandary, dilemma, predicament
-
anything soft or flabby.
noun
-
a soft wet area of land that gives way under the feet; bog
-
an awkward, complex, or embarrassing situation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of quagmire
Explanation
A quagmire is a dangerous place, like the muddy shoreline of a pond. Because it's so hard to climb out of a quagmire, the word has also come to mean any difficult or sticky situation you find yourself in. Long ago, quag was a synonym for "bog" or "marsh," a swampy area where water seems to sit instead of drain out. Mire is another word to describe such a place. As a verb mire means "stuck," like someone who's mired in quicksand or mired in work — both prevent you from going anywhere. In a quagmire, you get stuck physically — or, even more commonly, in a situation that is hard to escape because there is no easy solution.
Vocabulary lists containing quagmire
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Hamilton
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40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even when pressed on the potential impact of a "quagmire" scenario in the Gulf that would curtail oil and jet fuel exports for several more months, executives did not appear overly alarmed.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
County officials say they are aware of the quagmire facing these residents, yet they have no timeline for — or guarantee of — a resolution on the issue.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
But Americans who think the process abroad will always meet the standards they are accustomed to can find themselves unexpectedly engulfed in a quagmire of complications.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
For all his backroom skill, Tojo did not include the U.S., or a quagmire in China, in his calculations.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
Ron did very well until he reached the hinkypunk, which successfully confused him into sinking waist-high into the quagmire.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
