Meaning of predicament in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /prəˈdɪkəmənt/

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  1. Noun

    predicament

    Etymology

    late Middle English (in predicament (sense 2)): from late Latin praedicamentum‘something predicated’ (rendering Greek katēgoria‘category’), from Latin praedicare (see predicate). From the sense ‘category’ arose the sense ‘state of being, condition’; hence ‘unpleasant situation’

    Definitions

    1. a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one

    Examples

    • « finds himself in a most awkward predicament »
    • « the woeful plight of homeless people »

Famous quotes

  • « Life is a predicament which precedes death. »
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  • « The dreams which reveal the supernatural are promises and messages that God sends us directly: they are nothing but His angels, His ministering spirits , who usually appear to us when we are in a great predicament. »
    Paracelsus
  • « So the poet, who wants to be something that he cannot be, and is a failure in plain life, makes up fictitious versions of his predicament that are interesting even to other persons because nobody is a perfect automobile salesman. »
    Allen Tate

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