quagmire

noun

quag·​mire ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r  ˈkwäg- 

plural quagmires

1

: soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot

2

: a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : predicament

Synonyms

• bind
• box
• catch-22
• corner
• dilemma
• fix
• hole
• impasse
• jackpot [chiefly West]
• jam
• mire
• pickle
• predicament
• rabbit hole
• rattrap
• spot
• sticky wicket
• swamp

Examples of quagmire in a Sentence

That was six months ago, when the Defense secretary laughingly dismissed the idea that Iraq was, or could turn into, a quagmire. But as Rumsfeld sat down last Friday morning to face Sen. John McCain, who spent six years in a Vietnamese prison, no one was laughing. —Michael Hirsh et al., Newsweek, 17 Nov. 2003

State involvement will create a vast bioethical quagmire. Even if everyone magically agrees that improving a child's memory is as valid as avoiding dyslexia, there will still be things taxpayers aren't ready to pay for—genes of unproven benefit, say, or alterations whose downsides may exceed the upside. —Robert Wright, Time, 11 Jan.1999

the party was once again facing its quadrennial quagmire: the candidate sufficiently liberal to win the nomination would be too liberal for the general election

a protracted custody dispute that became a judicial quagmire

Recent Examples on the Web

The nadir came during an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt, in response to a question about the constant quagmire at the U.S. southern border—an area in which Harris had notionally been given power by Biden, but manifestly no actual agency. —Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2024

Israel has sunk ever deeper into the Gaza quagmire, neglecting to elucidate the regional and global contexts of the conflict. —Ari Shavit, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2024

And so, knowing when to stop is going to be key to this not becoming a quagmire for Israel. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 1 Oct. 2024

But in the summer, under the warmth of 24-hour sunshine, the top foot or two of soil melted, creating an impassable quagmire for people and vehicles. —Paul Bierman, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

quagmire

noun

quag·​mire ˈkwag-ˌmī(ə)r  ˈkwäg- 

1

: soft spongy wet ground that shakes or gives way under the foot

2

: a difficult situation from which it is hard to escape