predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
pri-ˈdi-kə-mənt 
sense 1 is usually ˈpre-di-kə-
1
: the character, status, or classification assigned by a predication
specifically
: category sense 1
Synonyms
Examples of predicament in a Sentence
The captain of archers fidgeted and coughed and rolled his eyes at his men, as if such cupidity and dishonor were an inevitable but minor aspect of the human predicament …
—
Michael Chabon, New York Times Magazine, 6 May 2007
We saw photographs that week of buildings burning, stunned onlookers, dust-covered firemen. Very few pictures conveyed the fact that people just like us, our fellow passengers on the subway, suddenly found themselves in a mortal predicament and many died horribly.
—Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book Review, 3 Sept. 2006
The President found himself in the backwash of earlier deals, and the demands of secrecy made his predicament the more vexing.
—Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters, 1988
The governor has gotten himself into quite a predicament.
I don't know how to get out of the predicament I'm in.
Michael Chabon, New York Times Magazine, 6 May 2007
We saw photographs that week of buildings burning, stunned onlookers, dust-covered firemen. Very few pictures conveyed the fact that people just like us, our fellow passengers on the subway, suddenly found themselves in a mortal predicament and many died horribly.
—Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book Review, 3 Sept. 2006
The President found himself in the backwash of earlier deals, and the demands of secrecy made his predicament the more vexing.
—Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters, 1988
The governor has gotten himself into quite a predicament.
I don't know how to get out of the predicament I'm in.
Recent Examples on the Web
But volunteers described a predicament for which government officials were unprepared — and that nonprofits cannot adequately manage themselves.
—Jonathan Wolfe Mark Abramson, New York Times, 4 June 2024
Stephens said that parental notification policies place teachers in a difficult, even potentially dangerous predicament.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 30 May 2024
Anxiety and urgency took hold as the nonprofit took in the scope of the predicament.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Sounds of spring 2024 — the mating song of the Carolina wren, music through the windows of the Peabody Institute, cheers for an Orioles homer at Camden Yards and Donald Trump whining about his predicament in Manhattan District Court.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for predicament 
Jonathan Wolfe Mark Abramson, New York Times, 4 June 2024
Stephens said that parental notification policies place teachers in a difficult, even potentially dangerous predicament.
—Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 30 May 2024
Anxiety and urgency took hold as the nonprofit took in the scope of the predicament.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2024
Sounds of spring 2024 — the mating song of the Carolina wren, music through the windows of the Peabody Institute, cheers for an Orioles homer at Camden Yards and Donald Trump whining about his predicament in Manhattan District Court.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for predicament
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'predicament.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near predicament
Cite this Entry
“Predicament.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predicament. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predicament
noun
pre·dic·a·ment
pri-ˈdik-ə-mənt
: a difficult, puzzling, or trying situation : fix
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