morass

American  

[muh-ras] / məˈræs /

noun

1. a tract of low, soft, wet ground.

2. a marsh or bog.

3. marshy ground.

4. any confusing or troublesome situation, especially one from which it is difficult to free oneself; entanglement.

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morass British  

/ məˈræs /

noun

1. a tract of swampy low-lying land

2. a disordered or muddled situation or circumstance, esp one that impedes progress

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Etymology

Origin of morass

1645–55; < Dutch moeras, alteration (by association with moer marsh; moor ¹ ) of Middle Dutch maras < Old French mareis < Germanic. See marsh

Example Sentences

The risk of the high-speed approach is that the administration cuts corners and finds itself entangled in a protracted legal morass, legal and energy experts said.

From The Wall Street Journal

If he has a vision, a way out of the morass, wouldn't it be an idea for him to articulate it?

From BBC

It is the size and scope of the morass that is enabling fraud.

From The Wall Street Journal

He described the tangle of lawyers, judges, and motions involved as a "procedural morass" with no simple answers.

From BBC

Carney’s blueprint to lift Canada’s economy out of the current morass is set for unveiling next Tuesday, when the government presents its annual budget plan to lawmakers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chaos
• quagmire
• tangle