predicament

[pri-dik-uh-muhnt, pred-i-kuh-muhnt]

noun

1. an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation.

2. a class or category of logical or philosophical predication.

3. Archaic.,  a particular state, condition, or situation.

predicament

/ prɪˈdɪkəmənt /

noun

1. a perplexing, embarrassing, or difficult situation

2. obsolete,  logic one of Aristotle's ten categories of being

3. archaic,  a specific condition, circumstance, state, position, etc

Other Word Forms

• predicamental adjective
• predicamentally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of predicament¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; 1580–90 predicament for def. 1; Middle English, from Late Latin praedicāmentum “something predicated, asserted,” derivative of praedicāre. See predicate, -ment

Word History and Origins

Origin of predicament¹

C14: from Late Latin praedicāmentum what is predicated, from praedicāre to announce, assert; see _predicate

Synonym Study

Predicament, dilemma, plight, quandary refer to unpleasant or puzzling situations. Predicament and plight stress more the unpleasant nature, quandary and dilemma the puzzling nature of the situation. Predicament and plight are sometimes interchangeable; plight, however, though originally meaning peril or danger, is seldom used today except laughingly: When his suit wasn't ready at the cleaners, he was in a terrible plight. Predicament, though likewise capable of being used lightly, may also refer to a really crucial situation: Stranded in a strange city without money, he was in a predicament. Dilemma, in popular use, means a position of doubt or perplexity in which one is faced by two equally undesirable alternatives: the dilemma of a hostess who must choose between offending her anti-drinking guests or disappointing those who expected cocktails. Quandary is the state of mental perplexity of one faced with a difficult situation: There seemed to be no way out of the quandary.

Example Sentences

"Ridiculous" and "controversial" are two of the words Keegan Bradley is using to describe his predicament while he considers whether to pick himself for the US Ryder Cup team.

From BBC

Lucy Dadayan, a researcher who studies sin taxes at the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., said the California predicament reflects a larger problem with sin taxes.

From Los Angeles Times

Myanmar has also been hit by a devastating earthquake in March and international funding cuts, that have left vulnerable people in desperate and dangerous predicaments.

From BBC

Los Angeles city fire officials confirmed they needed an hour and 15 minutes to rescue the woman from her predicament.

From Los Angeles Times

And if Russia is left unable to sell its oil elsewhere because other countries face the same predicament, it will have less cash to finance the war in Ukraine.

From BBC

Related Words

• circumstance 
• crisis 
• deadlock 
• dilemma 
• hardship 
• imbroglio 
• impasse 
• mess 
• plight 
• posture 
• quagmire 
• quandary