YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME
Quagmire
Understand it. Say it. Use it.
UNDERSTAND THE WORD
Meaning in plain English
SAY IT ALOUD
Pronunciation
Quagmire/ˈkwæɡmaɪə/
Computer-generated audio. A British English voice is preferred when available. Follow the IPA for this entry; device voices can vary.
PICTURE THE IDEA
See the meaning
A foot sinks into boggy ground
Getting free is difficult
SEE IT IN EVERYDAY ENGLISH
Examples in context
Read the examples aloud. Notice how the word fits the sentence, then think of a situation of your own.
- The hikers found themselves stuck in a muddy quagmire after the rainstorm.
- The project turned into a political quagmire with no clear solution in sight.
MAKE IT STICK
Quick word quiz
Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.
0 of 1 checked correctly
Can you recall the word?
Complete the example using the word from this lesson.
The hikers found themselves stuck in a muddy ________ after the rainstorm.
Show the answer
Quagmire — Soft, boggy ground that can give way underfoot; figuratively, a complicated or difficult situation that is hard to escape.
Try your own sentence (optional)
Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Quagmire” about your own life.
Check your sentence
Does your sentence match this meaning?
Soft, boggy ground that can give way underfoot; figuratively, a complicated or difficult situation that is hard to escape.
Compare: The hikers found themselves stuck in a muddy quagmire after the rainstorm.
Check the spelling and how the word fits the sentence. Your example can be different.
Self-review only. Your sentence is not automatically marked, saved or submitted.
This quiz is for practice. To save lesson completion on this device, complete the checks in the app.
A literal and figurative quagmire
A quagmire can be soft, wet ground that is difficult to cross. Figuratively, it is a tangled situation that is hard to escape. A quagmire is usually more serious than a small inconvenience. Phrases such as a bureaucratic quagmire suggest complications that keep someone stuck.
In context: Conflicting instructions turned the simple application into a bureaucratic quagmire.
Try it: In “The project became a quagmire of competing demands,” is the ground muddy?
Check the explanation
Not necessarily. This is a figurative use: the project is trapped in complicated difficulties.
Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Quagmire.
Word origin
Did you know?
Explore related words
Open a word’s lesson when available, or explore entries that use the related term.
Make the word your own
- Say the word aloud and read an example sentence.
- Write a new sentence about something familiar to you.
- Cover the meaning and try explaining the word in your own words.
Continue with the app’s practice check, then try a sentence of your own to mark this word complete.
Practise this word in the appCompletion and saved words stay in this browser on this device.