predicament
Americannoun
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an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation.
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a class or category of logical or philosophical predication.
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Archaic. a particular state, condition, or situation.
noun
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a perplexing, embarrassing, or difficult situation
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obsolete logic one of Aristotle's ten categories of being
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archaic a specific condition, circumstance, state, position, etc
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of predicament
First recorded in 1350–1400; 1580–90 predicament for def. 1; Middle English, from Late Latin praedicāmentum “something predicated, asserted,” derivative of praedicāre. See predicate, -ment
Explanation
If you're engaged to get married but suddenly fall in love with someone else, you have gotten yourself into quite a predicament. A predicament is a difficult, confusing, and unpleasant situation. The Greek word that predicament originally descends from means "a state of being." Which makes sense considering the words that sound like predicate are all about states of being––predict, or say what's going to happen in the future, and predicate the second part of a sentence that's led by the verb. Think of predicament as an unpleasant state of being.
Vocabulary lists containing predicament
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
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List 3
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World Without Fish
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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.
Cadwalladr read part of a letter from Wynn-Williams' lawyer, explaining their understanding of her legal predicament.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Their fate isn’t nearly as interesting as their predicament.
From Salon • May 30, 2026
The passengers in two Waymo vehicles in Atlanta last week were in a less-humorous predicament.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
Punch's predicament sparked huge interest online, spawning a devoted fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
Rhiannon flags the waiter down, explains the predicament, and gets a nod.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
