quagmire

American  

[kwag-mahy^uhr, kwog-] / ˈkwægˌmaɪər, ˈkwɒg- /

noun

1. an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.

2. a situation from which extrication is very difficult.

   a quagmire of financial indebtedness.

   Synonyms:

   jam, scrape, quandary, dilemma, predicament

3. anything soft or flabby.

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quagmire British  

/ ˈkwæɡˌmaɪə, ˈkwɒɡ- /

noun

1. a soft wet area of land that gives way under the feet; bog

2. an awkward, complex, or embarrassing situation

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Other Word Forms

• quagmiry
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of quagmire

First recorded in 1570–80; quag + mire

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.

Example Sentences

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

More broadly, the growing risk of a widening and drawn-out war threatens the American economy, raising warnings of stagflation, a quagmire of stagnant growth and high inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

With a paucity of working capital and bank lending rates now exceeding 60%, both foreign and domestic firms are stuck in a quagmire.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

The quagmire of falsified and lost records for Syria's missing children means surviving mothers and fathers are left to hunt from one institution to the next for any information at all.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025

On the race’s eve, a downpour rendered the track at Narragansett a quagmire.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• dilemma
• entanglement
• imbroglio
• impasse
• morass
• predicament
• quandary