quagmire
Bog you're in
A quagmire is literally an area of unstable ground, like a bog or swamp.
People typically use quagmire in the figurative sense, to talk about a precarious situation or predicament: The Internet has made the field of copyright law a quagmire.
Journalists use the word frequently to characterize wars and various political situations that have no clear exit strategy.
Acidic peat wetland
- marshGrassy waterlogged lowland
- fenLow marshy ground
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- morassSwampy, confusing situation
peatland · slough · bayou · muskeg · marshland · swampland · fenland · moorland
Forced choice between undesirables
- morassSwampy, confusing situation
- messDisorderly, troublesome condition
- muddleDisordered, bewildered state
- bindFasten or obligate
pickle · jam · fix · plight · difficulty · conundrum · quandary · catch-22
Mutual blocking, no progress
- stalemateMutual obstruction preventing progress
- standstillTotal cessation of movement
- gridlockComplete mutual obstruction
- logjamObstruction halting flow
bottleneck · dead-end · standoff · stagnation · paralysis · inertia · halt · blockage
Armed struggle between groups
- militaryArmed forces collectively
- conflictOpposition between parties
- escalationProgressive increase in intensity
- withdrawalAct of taking away
foreign policy · intervention · occupation · protracted · unwinnable · entrenched · bogged down
bog
Acidic peat wetland
morass · peatland · slough · bayou · muskeg · marshland · swampland · fenland · moorland · quicksand
dilemma
Forced choice between undesirables
- morassSwampy, confusing situation
- messDisorderly, troublesome condition
- muddleDisordered, bewildered state
bind · pickle · jam · fix · plight · difficulty · conundrum · quandary · catch-22 · imbroglio
deadlock
Mutual blocking, no progress
- stalemateMutual obstruction preventing progress
- standstillTotal cessation of movement
- gridlockComplete mutual obstruction
logjam · bottleneck · dead-end · standoff · stagnation · paralysis · inertia · halt · blockage · roadblock
war
Armed struggle between groups
- militaryArmed forces collectively
- conflictOpposition between parties
- escalationProgressive increase in intensity
withdrawal · foreign policy · intervention · occupation · protracted · unwinnable · entrenched · bogged down
- freshwaterponds, river water, freshwater lake, creek, brook
- hardshipshardship, adversity, struggle, misfortune, difficulties
- impassesimpasse, deadlock, stalemate, standstill, gridlock
- predicamentspredicament, dilemma, bind, pickle, pinch
- swamp thingsmarsh, bog, duckweed, fen, cattails
- wet groundmud, puddle, swamp, marsh, bog
quagmiresolid ground
Stable surface beneath
firm ground · bedrock · dry land · terra firma · rock
quagmiresolution
Answer or liquid mixture
clear path · smooth sailing · success · easy fix · blessing