quagmire
25
7.9
- noun
- /ˈkwæɡˌmaɪər/
- Thus, there is little movement towards improving the situation and no ready way out of the quagmire.
- ideological quagmire
- escape from a quagmire
- moral quagmire
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Watch on YouTubeThe living room is a quagmire of pieces of crap.
- The living room is a quagmire of pieces of crap.
- The second win is they're depleting Russia, and Russia's gotten themselves into a quagmire like we did in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they're bleeding out.
Examples
-
He does not want this to become a political quagmire.
-
The commission dissolved into a political quagmire of corruption and even offers of vote selling.
Blog text (29) -
The alternative looks like a way to have the United States escape from a quagmire, whatever the consequences.
Academic text (2006) -
We need our best soldiers to help us get through the quagmire those idiots have created.
Blog text (28) -
I am afraid you have been drawn into a quagmire similar to Iraq.
Blog text (7) -
We are entrenched in a terrible quagmire... of negative publicity... and political infighting.
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I don't advocate for war, only a responsible end to the quagmires we're in now.
Blog text (33) -
Even governments of different ideological bents, military or civilian, have fallen into the same quagmire.
Academic text (1990) -
While failing to deter genocide, it may produce a quagmire hauntingly similar to Vietnam.
Academic text (1995) -
The negotiations have turned into a quagmire, with no clear path to resolution.
Synonyms
∞
1.2
A situation that causes trouble and needs a solution
∞
1.0
A situation with fighting or strong arguments that disturbs people
∞
1.0
A situation in which things are untidy and confused
81
5.8
A difficult or embarrassing situation that is hard to escape
68
6.5
A difficult situation that is hard to get out of
45
8.5
A confusing problem or question that is hard to solve
25
8.2
A situation when you do not know what to do
18
9.6
A situation where you cannot win because rules block every choice
15
8.8
A confused, messy situation that causes trouble
14
6.7
In trouble and needing help to fix a problem
13
5.5
A confused situation that is hard to understand or solve
13
7.0
A difficult, confusing situation that is hard to get out of
10
9.3
A confusing situation full of problems that is hard to get out of
9
5.0
A confused, disorganized situation where things are not in order
5
8.1
A difficult situation that is hard to escape
4
3.7
A difficult situation that is hard to deal with
3
7.7
A confused, complicated situation that is hard to understand
3
9.8
A very confusing and embarrassing situation involving conflict or misunderstanding
2
8.4
A very large, messy situation that is hard to fix
1
5.5
A difficult, unpleasant situation that is hard to fix
A difficult, confusing situation that is full of dishonest people and hard to escape
A confusing, tangled situation that is hard to get out of
A state of confusion where things are unclear or messy
A confused mixture of things that makes a mess
A difficult problem that needs careful handling
A difficult problem that is hard to solve
A difficult problem with no easy solution
Antonyms
Compounds
- Literature
1
8.1
A difficult political situation where people cannot agree or act
How Difficult
176
7.0
∞
3.1
25
7.9
81
5.8
∞
1.2
651
2.4
∞
1.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Quagmire comes from the old words quag 'bog' and mire 'mud', and that image helps the meaning. Because a real quagmire can trap you, the word is used for a difficult or messy situation that is hard to escape.