Quagmire
noun
A soft, wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot.
He got stuck in the deep quagmire in the marshy meadow.
Often appears as...
- muddy quagmire
- swampy quagmire
noun
A complex or precarious situation that is difficult to escape.
The company is now stuck in a financial quagmire.
Often appears as...
- political quagmire
- financial quagmire
Usage tips
Disapproving
noun
A soft, wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot.
He got stuck in the deep quagmire in the marshy meadow.
Often appears as...
- muddy quagmire
- swampy quagmire
noun
A complex or precarious situation that is difficult to escape.
The company is now stuck in a financial quagmire.
Often appears as...
- political quagmire
- financial quagmire
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Natural Imagery
Quagmire often evokes images of nature and the outdoors, suggesting difficult, sticky ground.
After the storm, the path through the woods became a quagmire.
Pro Tip 2/3Physical Challenge
When discussing terrain, quagmire implies an area that can physically trap or hinder you.
The hikers avoided the quagmire, fearing they'd get stuck.
Pro Tip 3/3Negative Connotation
Quagmire often carries a negative tone, suggesting an unpleasant or undesirable situation.
The fields turned into a quagmire after weeks of rain.
Compare with
bogdilemmamarshmiremorasspitfallsloughswamp
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Video examples
How to shift your...
I was running political strategy for her. So when she handed me this note, I assumed that it would contain detailed political instructions about how we were going to get out of this nightmare quagmire that we seemed to be trapped in. I took the note and looked at it. It said, "Painful.
Video examples
Living with Urban Lions...
commerce to traverse the country without having to go through the you know the quagmire of traffic in the middle of the city well this park is not just a little part that you can cut off with a highway like that that highway would prevent the movement of wildlife and this these
Video examples
What game theory teaches...
player can do is drop out when they either run out of the resources or the will to play problems arise however when you pit a finite player versus an infinite player it's the finite player who then gets caught in quagmire this happens in
Video examples
How to shift your...
I was running political strategy for her. So when she handed me this note, I assumed that it would contain detailed political instructions about how we were going to get out of this nightmare quagmire that we seemed to be trapped in. I took the note and looked at it. It said, "Painful.
Video examples
Living with Urban Lions...
commerce to traverse the country without having to go through the you know the quagmire of traffic in the middle of the city well this park is not just a little part that you can cut off with a highway like that that highway would prevent the movement of wildlife and this these
Video examples
What game theory teaches...
player can do is drop out when they either run out of the resources or the will to play problems arise however when you pit a finite player versus an infinite player it's the finite player who then gets caught in quagmire this happens in
Example 1 of 3
Quote examples
Barack Obama
American President
We also can't try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis. That's not leadership; that's a recipe for quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately weakens us. It's the lesson of Vietnam, of Iraq - and we should have learned it by now.
Quote examples
Henrik Ibsen
Norwegian Poet
Your home is regarded as a model home, your life as a model life. But all this splendor, and you along with it... it's just as though it were built upon a shifting quagmire. A moment may come, a word can be spoken, and both you and all this splendor will collapse.
Quote examples
Paul Keating
Australian Politician
The First World War was a war devoid of any virtue. It arose from the quagmire of European tribalism: a complex interplay of nation-state destinies overlaid by notions of cultural superiority peppered with racism.
Quote examples
Edwin Markham
American Poet
Use and beauty - these should be the ends of all human effort. But the competitive struggle swings us away from this high ground and plunges us into a quagmire fight for cheap goods and cheap labor.
Quote examples
Peter Schuyler
American Writer
Before and during the first phase of the war his administration repeatedly maligned the UN but now, that Iraq has turned into a quagmire, it is asking the UN for help.
Quote examples
George Soros
Hungarian Businessman
We are the most powerful nation on earth. No external power, no terrorist organization, can defeat us. But we can defeat ourselves by getting caught in a quagmire.
Quote examples
Jair Bolsonaro
Brazilian Politician
We are taking over a completely broken Brazil. We've never had such a major ethical, moral, and economic crisis, and we want to get out of this quagmire.
Quote examples
Charles B. Rangel
American Politician
At least 23,000 civilians have also died in the Iraqi killing field and the U.S. is stuck in a quagmire.
Quote examples
James Joyce
Irish Novelist
My words in her mind: cold polished stones sinking through a quagmire.
Quote examples
Donald Rumsfeld
American Politician
I don't do quagmires.
Quote examples
Barack Obama
American President
We also can't try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis. That's not leadership; that's a recipe for quagmire, spilling American blood and treasure that ultimately weakens us. It's the lesson of Vietnam, of Iraq - and we should have learned it by now.
Quote examples
Henrik Ibsen
Norwegian Poet
Your home is regarded as a model home, your life as a model life. But all this splendor, and you along with it... it's just as though it were built upon a shifting quagmire. A moment may come, a word can be spoken, and both you and all this splendor will collapse.
Quote examples
Paul Keating
Australian Politician
The First World War was a war devoid of any virtue. It arose from the quagmire of European tribalism: a complex interplay of nation-state destinies overlaid by notions of cultural superiority peppered with racism.
Quote examples
Edwin Markham
American Poet
Use and beauty - these should be the ends of all human effort. But the competitive struggle swings us away from this high ground and plunges us into a quagmire fight for cheap goods and cheap labor.
Quote examples
Peter Schuyler
American Writer
Before and during the first phase of the war his administration repeatedly maligned the UN but now, that Iraq has turned into a quagmire, it is asking the UN for help.
Quote examples
George Soros
Hungarian Businessman
We are the most powerful nation on earth. No external power, no terrorist organization, can defeat us. But we can defeat ourselves by getting caught in a quagmire.
Quote examples
Jair Bolsonaro
Brazilian Politician
We are taking over a completely broken Brazil. We've never had such a major ethical, moral, and economic crisis, and we want to get out of this quagmire.
Quote examples
Charles B. Rangel
American Politician
At least 23,000 civilians have also died in the Iraqi killing field and the U.S. is stuck in a quagmire.
Quote examples
James Joyce
Irish Novelist
My words in her mind: cold polished stones sinking through a quagmire.
Quote examples
Donald Rumsfeld
American Politician
I don't do quagmires.
Example 1 of 10
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