quandary
Americannoun
-
quandaries
plural
noun
Synonym Usage
See predicament.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of quandary
First recorded in 1570–80; perhaps fancifully from Latin quand(ō) “when” + -āre infinitive suffix
Explanation
How to define the word quandary? Wow, this is quite a dilemma. What to do, what to do? Hmmm. Looks like this moment itself is a quandary: a tough situation that will be really hard to resolve. If you’re uncertain what to do because all of your options seem unpleasant, you’re probably in a quandary. Some voters find themselves in a quandary when they dislike all of the candidates. A more common quandary is when you plan two events at the same time and can’t decide which one to attend. Some synonyms are predicament, dilemma, plight, and pickle — and choosing which word to use is a quandary in itself.
Vocabulary lists containing quandary
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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Grade 10, List 2
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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:
Jenner hates the paparazzi for invading her privacy but sees no moral quandary in collecting a check from Mark Zuckerberg, who wants to invade everyone’s privacy.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
That left McLaren with a quandary for although their cars were running one-two, the slower one was in the lead, and they were concerned about threats from behind.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
That’s the quandary faced by 49,000 residents living on the California side of Lake Tahoe, mostly in the city of South Lake Tahoe.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Their quandary is that nobody else can substitute for America’s military and economic might in the foreseeable future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
Yet we sang in church “Tata Nzolo”! Which means Father in Heaven or Father of Fish Bait depending on just how you sing it, and that pretty well summed up my quandary.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
The employment of fully autonomous weapons presents real ethical quandaries, though the technology isn’t ready for that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
This episode is unlikely to help resolve the Liberal Party's quandaries.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
You wrote in from inboxes and DMs and social feeds with questions about everything from drink quandaries to annoying cousins.
From Salon ● Nov. 25, 2025
That’s one of the quandaries at the center of Shields’ latest memoir about aging, “Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2025
Hugging quandaries aside, when I saw a boy in these clothes, I would have to walk up and say hi.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
