quandary
Americannoun
-
quandaries
plural
noun
Synonym Usage
See predicament.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of quandary
First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps fancifully from Latin quand(ō) “when” + -āre infinitive suffix
Explanation
How to define the word quandary? Wow, this is quite a dilemma. What to do, what to do? Hmmm. Looks like this moment itself is a quandary: a tough situation that will be really hard to resolve. If you’re uncertain what to do because all of your options seem unpleasant, you’re probably in a quandary. Some voters find themselves in a quandary when they dislike all of the candidates. A more common quandary is when you plan two events at the same time and can’t decide which one to attend. Some synonyms are predicament, dilemma, plight, and pickle — and choosing which word to use is a quandary in itself.
Vocabulary lists containing quandary
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Grade 10, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
Jenner hates the paparazzi for invading her privacy but sees no moral quandary in collecting a check from Mark Zuckerberg, who wants to invade everyone’s privacy.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
That left McLaren with a quandary for although their cars were running one-two, the slower one was in the lead, and they were concerned about threats from behind.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
However, he acknowledged YouTube is a particular quandary: its shifting sea of content makes real-time filtering nearly impossible, for Google or school districts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Assuming its fifth season is confirmed and the show returns in the fall, the Potterverse quandary is bound to be a talking point.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2026
Calliope has no answer for my quandary about the two beasts.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
They will find themselves in the same stock-picking and market-timing quandaries they had initially set out to avoid—with potentially little ultimate benefit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Her sparked some of my first reflections about whether tech innovation is inherently good or bad for society, and helped validate my early moral quandaries and panic at the time.
From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2025
It may not have been enough to elevate him from the quandaries of politics or shield him from some of the failures of his career.
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2024
She quickly nodded and agreed, but the quandaries stuck with her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2024
Hugging quandaries aside, when I saw a boy in these clothes, I would have to walk up and say hi.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
