quagmired
Trapped in mud
Quagmired means stuck in a quagmire—literally a bog or marsh, figuratively any situation that's difficult to escape.
The word usually appears in its extended sense: The project became quagmired in bureaucratic delays.
Like its noun form, quagmired suggests sinking deeper the more you struggle.
Caught in complexity
- ensnaredCaught by trickery
- entangledTwisted together inseparably
- caught upBecame current or involved
- embroiledInvolved in conflict
tangled · snarled · complicated · convoluted · knotty · labyrinthine · web · morass
Unable to move
- immobilizedMade unable to move
- strandedLeft without means to leave
- maroonedLeft stranded and helpless
- anchoredFixed securely in position
rooted · fixed · pinned · wedged · lodged · inextricable · spinning wheels · helpless
Stopped unexpectedly
- haltedCame to rest
- stymiedBlocked from progressing
- thwartedPrevented from succeeding
- impededObstructed or slowed
hampered · hindered · blocked · deadlocked · gridlocked · paralyzed · at a standstill · going nowhere
enmeshed
Caught in complexity
embroiled · tangled · snarled · complicated · convoluted · knotty · labyrinthine · web · morass · bureaucracy
stuck
Unable to move
- immobilizedMade unable to move
- strandedLeft without means to leave
- maroonedLeft stranded and helpless
anchored · rooted · fixed · pinned · wedged · lodged · inextricable · spinning wheels · helpless · foundering
stalled
Stopped unexpectedly
impeded · hampered · hindered · blocked · deadlocked · gridlocked · paralyzed · at a standstill · going nowhere · stonewalled
swamp
Waterlogged land with vegetation
sludge · wetland · morass · slough · fen · peat · waterlogged · sinking · submerged · engulfed
quagmiredmobile
Capable of movement
unimpeded · unstuck · freed · unencumbered · liberated
quagmiredadvancing
Moving in forward direction
progressing · moving forward · on track · making headway · thriving
quagmiredliberated
Released from confinement
free · unencumbered · unburdened · emancipated · disentangled