quagmire
/ˈkwæɡˌmaɪər/
NOUN
1. Swampy or waterlogged ground
An area of soft, wet, muddy ground that is difficult or dangerous to cross because people or objects can sink into it.
1.1. Swamps and muddy terrain
Used to describe naturally occurring areas of saturated, unstable ground, such as marshes, bogs, and muddy wetlands.
Synonyms
Examples
- After heavy rain, the once solid path turned into a treacherous quagmire.
- Navigating through the dense forest, the hikers found themselves stuck in a muddy quagmire.
- The horses struggled to cross the deep quagmire near the riverbank.
Related Words
- wetland
- bog
- mud
- peat
- moss
- waterlogged
- mudflat
NOUN
2. A complicated or difficult situation
A confusing, troublesome, or dangerous situation involving numerous complications, obstacles, or conflicting circumstances that are difficult to resolve.
2.1. Difficulties and personal predicaments
Used to describe a troublesome personal or professional situation in which someone becomes trapped in difficulties and struggles to find a way out.
Synonyms
- predicament
- plight
- difficulty
- trouble
- bind
- fix
- pickle
- pinch
- scrape
- hot water
- jam
- hole
- strait
Antonyms
Examples
- The financial crisis created an economic quagmire that took years to recover from.
- She found herself in a legal quagmire after discovering several conflicting agreements.
- The unexpected complications left the project manager struggling to escape a professional quagmire.
Related Words
2.2. Dilemmas and difficult decisions
Used when someone faces a complicated choice or conflicting circumstances in which every available option presents difficulties or undesirable consequences.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
- The negotiations between the two countries reached a diplomatic quagmire.
- The committee became trapped in a political quagmire over the proposed legislation.
- Without a clear compromise, the negotiations descended into a seemingly endless quagmire.
Related Words
- uncertainty
- confusion
- choice
- decision
- conflict
- indecision
- bewilderment
2.3. Complex entanglements and complications
Used to describe an intricate network of problems, conflicting interests, or interconnected circumstances that become increasingly difficult to understand or resolve.
Synonyms
Antonyms
- clarity
- simplicity
- resolution
- order
Examples
- The investigation uncovered a political quagmire involving corruption and conflicting interests.
- Years of poorly documented agreements created a legal quagmire for the new administration.
- The company became entangled in a bureaucratic quagmire that delayed its expansion plans.
Related Words
- complexity
- intricacy
- convolution
- confusion
- involvement
- complication
- interconnection
2.4. Dangerous or inescapable situations
Used to describe circumstances that place individuals, organizations, or governments in serious trouble, often involving risks, crises, or seemingly unavoidable consequences.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
- The political scandal plunged the nation into a moral quagmire.
- The military intervention turned into a dangerous quagmire for the government.
- The organization struggled to escape the financial quagmire caused by years of mismanagement.
Related Words
- danger
- risk
- threat
- disaster
- vulnerability
- predicament
- exigency
VERB
3. Involving someone in difficulties
To involve or entangle a person in a complicated, troublesome, or difficult situation from which it may be hard to escape.
3.1. Entangling someone in problems
Used to describe drawing or involving someone in complicated circumstances, disputes, or difficulties that create trouble or make a situation harder to resolve.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
- The controversial decision threatened to quagmire the administration in a prolonged political dispute.
- Poor financial planning can quagmire a small business in unnecessary debt.
- The unresolved legal issues threatened to quagmire the company in years of litigation.
Related Words
- involvement
- entanglement
- complication
- predicament
- conflict
- difficulty