predicament

[ pri-dik-uh-muhnt for 1, 3; pred-i-kuh-muhnt for 2 ]

See synonyms for: predicament predicaments on Thesaurus.com

noun

an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation.
a class or category of logical or philosophical predication.

Archaic. a particular state, condition, or situation.

Origin of predicament

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1580–90 for def. 1; Middle English, from Late Latin praedicāmentum “something predicated, asserted,” derivative of praedicāre.See predicate, -ment

synonym study For predicament

1. Predicament, dilemma, plight, quandary refer to unpleasant or puzzling situations. Predicament and plight stress more the unpleasant nature, quandary and dilemma the puzzling nature of the situation. Predicament and plight are sometimes interchangeable; plight, however, though originally meaning peril or danger, is seldom used today except laughingly: When his suit wasn't ready at the cleaners, he was in a terrible plight. Predicament, though likewise capable of being used lightly, may also refer to a really crucial situation: Stranded in a strange city without money, he was in a predicament. Dilemma, in popular use, means a position of doubt or perplexity in which one is faced by two equally undesirable alternatives: the dilemma of a hostess who must choose between offending her anti-drinking guests or disappointing those who expected cocktails. Quandary is the state of mental perplexity of one faced with a difficult situation: There seemed to be no way out of the quandary.

Other words from predicament

pre·dic·a·men·tal [pri-dik-uh-men-tl, pred-i-kuh-], /prɪˌdɪk əˈmɛn tl, ˌprɛd ɪ kə-/, adjective
pre·dic·a·men·tal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby predicament

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use predicament in a sentence

I don’t think that they were ever in that predicament to that degree.
The Tampa Bay Lightning Are Skating It Back By Sliding Just Under The Salary Cap | Julian McKenzie | February 2, 2021 | FiveThirtyEight
One user in East Moline, Illinois, who described the predicament on a DSLReports forum in early January, said they paid for the 6TB plan "to make sure we wouldn't go over the cap" and had never used more than 4TB.
Cable ISP warns “excessive” uploaders, says network can’t handle heavy usage | Jon Brodkin | January 29, 2021 | Ars Technica
Part of the reason for this predicament is that we too often look at online threats through a partisan lens.
Want to Stop the Next Crisis? Teaching Cyber Citizenship Must Become a National Priority | Michael McConnell | January 21, 2021 | Time
Specialists in clinical trials said the case of Novavax highlights the predicament in trying to develop a roster of multiple vaccines simultaneously to battle a global pandemic.
Elderly begin to drop out of Novavax vaccine trial to get Pfizer and Moderna shots | Christopher Rowland | January 19, 2021 | Washington Post
I think there are millions of others who are in the same predicament.
Don’t file a paper 2020 federal tax return if you don’t have to, IRS watchdog warns | Michelle Singletary | January 15, 2021 | Washington Post

Their solidified friendship is one of the most touching details of the premiere, but it also puts Branson in a tricky predicament.
What Downton’s Fashion Really Means | Katie Baker | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Mark Reay knows his predicament is very different from theirs.
This Fashion World Darling Is Homeless | Erica Wagner | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Earlier this year, 78-year-old Walter Williams found himself in a similar predicament.
What It’s Like to Wake Up Dead | Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Tej Azad | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
His predicament eventually become something of a cause célèbre, attracting even the attention of the Princess of Wales.
The True Story of ‘The Elephant Man’ | Russell Saunders | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In a way, the roots of this predicament reach back hundreds of years.
How Young People Are Destroying Liberty | James Poulos | October 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“This is a distressing predicament for these young people,” thought Mr. Pickwick, as he dressed himself next morning.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles Dickens
Finally, his predicament became so awkward that an expression of distress crept into his face.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux
Of course, the smoke-signals, passed along by Dangerfield's chain of guards, were responsible for Matt's predicament.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews
Jogging on over the sand, I sat silent, cudgelling my brains for a solution of the disastrous predicament I had gotten into.
In Search of the Unknown | Robert W. Chambers
I went to the Junior, told him my predicament, and he kindly offered to wait for his debt, though the note was overdue.
Tom Fairfield's Schooldays | Allen Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for predicament

predicament

/ (prɪˈdɪkəmənt) /

noun

a perplexing, embarrassing, or difficult situation
(ˈprɛdɪkəmənt) logic obsolete one of Aristotle's ten categories of being

archaic a specific condition, circumstance, state, position, etc

Origin of predicament

C14: from Late Latin praedicāmentum what is predicated, from praedicāre to announce, assert; see predicate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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