as in dilemmas
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
if you had told the truth in the first place, we wouldn't be in this predicament
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of predicaments
Brooks’s screenplay makes ample space to dump praise upon its protagonist while bemoaning her many predicaments.
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David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
But this is just one of the many predicaments of writing memoir.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Pakistan Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said his nation was hoping for more of a consensus going into Tuesday’s vote given the funding predicaments and operational issues that have dogged the MSS.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Is River in desperate need of some R&R, or is everyone else projecting their own predicaments onto him?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
Bolstered by its defensive line, Lawrence Academy (1-0) repeatedly forced Thayer’s Evriviades (9-15, 109 yards, INT) into difficult predicaments.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 21 Sep. 2025
There’s a two-step process to getting out of these kind of predicaments.
—Wayne Chan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025
These extreme predicaments and the deaths of people trapped in flooding homes in the Lower Ninth Ward were powerful reminders of the vulnerability of many low-income, elderly and ill residents who were unable to get out ahead of the disaster.
—Eric Kevin Stern, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
That being said, the news is filled with articles about schools in similar predicaments taking more draconian measures or even being forced to close.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predicaments
Noun
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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
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The following is a breakdown of those questions and others, and the key personnel dilemmas that remain unsolved as the World Cup nears.—
Noun
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Working in batches if needed, arrange pickles in a single layer in air-fryer basket (do not overcrowd).—
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Along with the usual lettuce, tomato and mayo, the inaugural customer creation, introduced for a limited time in July 2025, dressed the brand’s staple burger patty and bun with American cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and pickles with golden onion rings and a smoky BBQ sauce.—
Cite this Entry
“Predicaments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predicaments. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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