quagmire
Americannoun
-
an area of miry or boggy ground whose surface yields under the tread; a bog.
-
a situation from which extrication is very difficult.
a quagmire of financial indebtedness.
- Synonyms:
- jam, scrape, quandary, dilemma, predicament
-
anything soft or flabby.
noun
-
a soft wet area of land that gives way under the feet; bog
-
an awkward, complex, or embarrassing situation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of quagmire
Explanation
A quagmire is a dangerous place, like the muddy shoreline of a pond. Because it's so hard to climb out of a quagmire, the word has also come to mean any difficult or sticky situation you find yourself in. Long ago, quag was a synonym for "bog" or "marsh," a swampy area where water seems to sit instead of drain out. Mire is another word to describe such a place. As a verb mire means "stuck," like someone who's mired in quicksand or mired in work — both prevent you from going anywhere. In a quagmire, you get stuck physically — or, even more commonly, in a situation that is hard to escape because there is no easy solution.
Vocabulary lists containing quagmire
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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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.
See Examples For:
In the face of a financial quagmire, why not throw up a few glow sticks?
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also said that "wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will... create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years".
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
County officials say they are aware of the quagmire facing these residents, yet they have no timeline for — or guarantee of — a resolution on the issue.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
More broadly, the growing risk of a widening and drawn-out war threatens the American economy, raising warnings of stagflation, a quagmire of stagnant growth and high inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
It would’ve been a nice view, with the river and the trees and hills and all, except for the quagmire of horse muck.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
He has expressed disdain for previous U.S. wars abroad that have devolved into quagmires, promising that the country wouldn’t get bogged down in such conflicts under his leadership.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
She is simply not interested in the “you always,” “I never” emotional quagmires a gridlocked freeway or rerouting decision can churn up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025
Each week, I extract quite a few homeowners from wretched remodeling or homebuilding quagmires via phone or video call.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2024
History is awash with examples of strong militaries finding themselves in quagmires with lesser foes thanks to incorrect assumptions or fuzzy political aims.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2022
The marshes were bewildering and treacherous, and there was no permanent trail even for Rangers to find through their shifting quagmires.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
