predicament

American  

[pri-dik-uh-muhnt, pred-i-kuh-muhnt] / prɪˈdɪk ə mənt, ˈprɛd ɪ kə mənt /

noun

1. an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation.

2. a class or category of logical or philosophical predication.

3. Archaic. a particular state, condition, or situation.

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predicament British  

/ prɪˈdɪkəmənt /

noun

1. a perplexing, embarrassing, or difficult situation

2. obsolete logic one of Aristotle's ten categories of being

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

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Related Words

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

• predicamental
  adjective
• predicamentally
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

Punch's predicament sparked huge interest online, spawning a devoted fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

A people without history, without context, who lack the means to understand their predicament or the tools to resist it, are easy prey for authoritarians.

From Salon • May 14, 2026

“In fact,” he said when he first emailed me about his predicament, “my friends and I sometimes used the ramping pavement as jumps for our bicycles.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

But amid increasingly volatile conditions, advocates say the predicament of the Australians still stuck in Syria is growing more dangerous and the need to get them home more desperate.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

The enigmatic fellow was well aware of the estate’s predicament, as he himself was a skilled sandwich maker, and the lack of bread had deprived him of his favorite lunchtime meal.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• circumstance
• crisis
• deadlock
• dilemma
• hardship
• imbroglio
• impasse
• mess
• plight
• posture
• quagmire
• quandary