Definition

1. Noun:
   • A difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation from which it is hard to escape: A "predicament" is a problematic circumstance that is often complex, trying, or awkward, making it difficult to find a good solution or way out.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Losing his passport and wallet in a foreign country left him in a real predicament.
  • The company's financial predicament forced it to lay off many employees.
  • She found herself in the awkward predicament of having to choose between two good friends.

Advanced Usage

• "To be in a predicament": To be in a difficult or unpleasant situation.
  • After the car broke down in the desert, they were in a serious predicament.
• "To get out of a predicament": To escape or resolve a difficult situation.
  • It took all her diplomatic skills to get out of that political predicament.

Variants and Related Words

• Predicamental (adj, rare): Relating to or of the nature of a predicament.
  • The debate took a predicamental turn.
• Predicate (v/n): (Verb) To state or affirm something. (Noun) In grammar, the part of a sentence that says something about the subject. (Note: This is a related word based on a shared root but has a distinct primary meaning.)

Synonyms

• Dilemma: A situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable options.
• Plight: A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise unfortunate situation.
• Quandary: A state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation.
• Jam (informal): A difficult situation.
• Fix (informal): A difficult or embarrassing situation.

Related Phrases

• "In a pickle" (idiom, informal): In a difficult or messy situation.
  • I'm in a bit of a pickle; I double-booked myself for the meeting.
• "Between a rock and a hard place" (idiom): Faced with two equally difficult or unpleasant alternatives.
  • The new policy puts managers between a rock and a hard place.

Notes on Meaning

The word "predicament" strongly implies a sense of being trapped or constrained by the circumstances. It is more formal than words like "jam" or "fix" but less specific than "dilemma," which emphasizes a choice between two bad options. The historical philosophical meaning (a category or something predicated) is now obsolete in general usage.

Noun

1. a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
   • finds himself in a most awkward predicament
   • the woeful plight of homeless people