quagmire

[kwag-mahy^uhr, kwog-]

noun

1. an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.

2. a situation from which extrication is very difficult.

   a quagmire of financial indebtedness.

   Synonyms: jam, scrape, quandary, dilemma, predicament

3. anything soft or flabby.

quagmire

/ ˈkwæɡˌmaɪə, ˈkwɒɡ- /

noun

1. a soft wet area of land that gives way under the feet; bog

2. an awkward, complex, or embarrassing situation

Other Word Forms

• quagmiry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quagmire¹

First recorded in 1570–80; quag + mire

Word History and Origins

Origin of quagmire¹

C16: from _quag + _mire

Example Sentences

“I can’t get them to initiate the money. It’s just a quagmire.”

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The quagmire of falsified and lost records for Syria's missing children means surviving mothers and fathers are left to hunt from one institution to the next for any information at all.

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She is simply not interested in the “you always,” “I never” emotional quagmires a gridlocked freeway or rerouting decision can churn up.

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“Hopefully, the Supreme Court of the United States will put an END to the quagmire.”

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By my count, the last time was 2003 and the U.S. was embroiled in a Middle East quagmire.

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Related Words

• dilemma 
• entanglement 
• imbroglio 
• impasse 
• morass 
• predicament 
• quandary