Meanings
plural predicaments · alternative obsolete prædicament
- An unfortunate or trying position or condition.
Culture, for me, is the effort to provide a coherent set of answers to the existential predicaments that confront all human beings in the passage of their life.
1978, Daniel Bell, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism, page xv (20th edition)1 more example
The Midlanders will hope the victory will kickstart a campaign that looked to have hit the buffers, but the sense of trepidation enveloping the Reebok Stadium heading into the new year underlines the seriousness of the predicament facing Owen Coyle's men.
2011 December 10, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, in BBC SportSynonyms: tight spot
- human sciencesThat which is predicated; a category.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn unfortunate or trying position or condition.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latinpraedicāmentum“that which is predicated, a predicament, category”
- Old Frenchpredicament
- Middle Englishpredicament
- Englishpredicament
From Middle English predicament, from Old French predicament, from Late Latin praedicāmentum (“that which is predicated, a predicament, category”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian категория, затруднение
- категория (kategorija)a definite class, state or condition
- затруднение (zatrudnenie)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
- категория (kategorija)that which is predicated; a category
Catalan predicament, compromís
- predicamenta definite class, state or condition
- compromísan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- dilemaan unfortunate or trying position or condition
Chinese Mandarin 困境
- 困境 (kùnjìng)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
Czech svízel, šlamastyka
- svízelan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- šlamastykaan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- nepříjemná situacean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- ošemetná situacean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- složitá situacean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- nesnázan unfortunate or trying position or condition
Dutch klasse, hachelijke situatie
- klassea definite class, state or condition
- hachelijke situatiean unfortunate or trying position or condition
French catégorie, classe
- catégoriea definite class, state or condition
- classea definite class, state or condition
- prédicamenta definite class, state or condition
- situation difficilean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- situation délicatean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- mauvaise passean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- catégoriethat which is predicated; a category
German Kategorie, Lage
- Kategoriea definite class, state or condition
- Lagean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- Zwangslagean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- Dilemmaan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- Zwickmühlean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- missliche Lagean unfortunate or trying position or condition
- Kategoriethat which is predicated; a category
Greek παλιοκατάσταση
- παλιοκατάσταση (paliokatástasi)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
Hindi दुर्दशा
- दुर्दशा (durdaśā)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
Hungarian kutyaszorító, slamasztika
- kutyaszorítóan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- slamasztikaan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- szorult/kínos/kellemetlen helyzetan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- bajan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- gondan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- kellemetlenségan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- kategóriathat which is predicated; a category
Italian situazione difficile
- situazione difficilean unfortunate or trying position or condition
Japanese 窮地
- 窮地 (kyūchi)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
Māori pōraruraru, tairaru
- pōraruraruan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- tairaruan unfortunate or trying position or condition
Norwegian knipe
- knipean unfortunate or trying position or condition
Polish kłopotliwa sytuacja
- kłopotliwa sytuacjaan unfortunate or trying position or condition
Portuguese predicamento, apuro
- predicamentoa definite class, state or condition
- apuroan unfortunate or trying position or condition
Russian катего́рия, затрудне́ние
- катего́рия (kategórija)a definite class, state or condition
- затрудне́ние (zatrudnénije)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
- затрудни́тельное положе́ние (zatrudnítelʹnoje položénije)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
- положение (položenije)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
Spanish predicamento, aprieto
- predicamentoa definite class, state or condition
- aprietoan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- apuroan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- dificultadan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- predicamentoan unfortunate or trying position or condition
Swedish predikament, obehaglig situation
- predikamentan unfortunate or trying position or condition
- obehaglig situationan unfortunate or trying position or condition
Ukrainian катего́рія, стан
- катего́рія (katehórija)a definite class, state or condition
- стан (stan)a definite class, state or condition
- скрута (skruta)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
- скрутне становище (skrutne stanovyšče)an unfortunate or trying position or condition
- категорія (katehorija)that which is predicated; a category
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with predicament
All rhymes →Cite this entry
predicament. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predicament
“predicament.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predicament. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “predicament,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/predicament.
Source: predicament on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.