stuck
Lodged in place
Stuck is the past tense and past participle of stick, carrying forward its senses of adhesion and fixedness.
Something stuck is unable to move: a drawer stuck shut, a car stuck in mud, a person stuck in traffic.
Figuratively, to be stuck is to be unable to proceed: I'm stuck on this math problem.
If you're stuck with something, you're burdened with it unwillingly: We're stuck with this old couch.
To get stuck in (British) is to begin energetically.
Solidified by extreme cold
- rootedFirmly established in place
- anchoredFixed securely in position
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
- stationaryNot in motion
motionless · immovable · pinned · lodged · wedged · jammed · fastened · fixed
Kept within bounds
- cagedConfined by bars
- corneredUnable to flee
- pennedWrote or confined
- imprisonedHeld in custody
detained · captured · snared · ensnared · caught · surrounded · hemmed in · boxed in
Passage prevented or impeded
- impededObstructed or slowed
- stalledStopped unexpectedly
- gridlockedImmobilized by congestion
- deadlockedUnable to progress further
bottlenecked · halted · obstructed · at an impasse · at a standstill · hitting a wall · roadblocked · held up
Fastened with adhesive
- tapedFastened with adhesive strips
- bondedFastened or emotionally connected
- cementedFastened with lasting adhesion
- pastedAttached with adhesive
adhered · affixed · attached · fused · sealed · welded · soldered · clung
Hindered, unable to advance
- swampedOverwhelmed beyond capacity
- sinkingFalling through water
- quicksandYielding, engulfing sediment
- waterloggedSaturated with liquid
mucky · slogging · knee-deep · in over one's head · floundering
Gripped by fixation
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- dwellingPlace of residence
- ruminatingThinking deeply, repeatedly
- broodingAnxiously dwelling on something
hung up on · harping on · perseverating · single-minded · tunnel vision
Without movement or progress
- monotonousUnchangingly dull
- in a groovePerforming at peak rhythm
- plateauedStopped increasing or improving
- going in circlesFutile repetitive motion
same old · repetitive · uninspired · spinning wheels · treading water · in a funk · complacent · autopilot
frozen
Solidified by extreme cold
- rootedFirmly established in place
- anchoredFixed securely in position
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
stationary · motionless · immovable · pinned · lodged · wedged · jammed · fastened · fixed · planted
confined
Kept within bounds
imprisoned · detained · captured · snared · ensnared · caught · surrounded · hemmed in · boxed in · locked in
blocked
Passage prevented or impeded
- impededObstructed or slowed
- stalledStopped unexpectedly
- gridlockedImmobilized by congestion
deadlocked · bottlenecked · halted · obstructed · at an impasse · at a standstill · hitting a wall · roadblocked · held up · going nowhere
glued
Fastened with adhesive
- tapedFastened with adhesive strips
- bondedFastened or emotionally connected
- cementedFastened with lasting adhesion
pasted · adhered · affixed · attached · fused · sealed · welded · soldered · clung · gummed
bogged down
Hindered, unable to advance
waterlogged · mucky · slogging · knee-deep · in over one's head · floundering
obsessed
Gripped by fixation
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- dwellingPlace of residence
- ruminatingThinking deeply, repeatedly
hung up on · brooding · harping on · perseverating · single-minded · tunnel vision
stagnant
Without movement or progress
- monotonousUnchangingly dull
- in a groovePerforming at peak rhythm
- plateauedStopped increasing or improving
going in circles · same old · repetitive · uninspired · spinning wheels · treading water · in a funk · complacent · autopilot
- impassesimpasse, deadlock, stalemate, standstill, gridlock
- malfunctionsbroken, defective, glitch, faulty, error
- past participlesbeen, done, gone, seen, taken
- predicamentspredicament, dilemma, bind, pickle, pinch
- setbacksfailing, back to square one, losing, stumbles, hit a snag
- stagnationstagnation, standstill, stasis, deadlock, stalemate
stuckunstuck
No longer attached
moving · moving forward · progressing · advancing · flowing
- stuck upConceited and aloof
- stuck outExtended beyond surroundings
- stuck aroundStayed in place
- stuck in someone's throatUnable to express aloud
- stuck onFixated upon, romantically
- stuck in traffic
stuck on, stuck-up, unstuck, stuck up, stuck in the mud, stuckness