Predicament: meaning, example and synonyms
Predicamentn. A difficult or perplexing situation from which escape is hard.
Example
Stranded when the tide rose faster than predicted, the geologists faced a predicament: wait on the shrinking sandbar or wade through the cold channel.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Synonyms
- dilemma, plight, quandary, bind
- Antonyms
- ease, comfort, security
- Memory tip
- A predicament is the pickle you failed to predict.
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Check yourself: Predicament in context
Having promised the same plot of land to two different buyers, the careless agent found himself in an awkward ______ that no amount of polite apology could resolve.
Answer: predicament. Selling one plot to two buyers creates a hard-to-escape situation: a predicament. One cannot be 'in' a repertoire (range of skills), avant-garde (innovators) or diffusion (spreading) that needs resolving.
The expedition's ______ worsened when the river flooded behind them, cutting off retreat just as their supplies began to run low.
Answer: predicament. A cut-off retreat and dwindling supplies make a difficult situation worse: a predicament. Culpability (blame), repertoire (range of skills) and avant-garde (innovators) aren't worsened by a flood.