| Main Entry: | quandary |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | delicate situation |
Synonyms: |
Catch-22, bewilderment, bind, clutch, corner*, difficulty, dilemma, double trouble, doubt, embarrassment, hang-up, impasse, mire, perplexity, pickle, plight, predicament, puzzle, spot*, strait, uncertainty, up a tree |
Antonyms: |
advantage, certainty, solution |
| Main Entry: | ambivalence |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | equivocation |
Synonyms: |
confusion dilemma, doubt, fluctuation, gingerliness, haze, hesitancy, hesitation, iffiness, inconclusiveness, indecision, irresoluteness, muddle, quandary, tentativeness, uncertainty, unsureness |
Antonyms: |
certainty, decisiveness |
| Main Entry: | bind |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | predicament |
Synonyms: |
between a rock and a hard place, crunch, difficulty, dilemma, hot water, no-win situation, nuisance, pickle, predicament, quandary, sticky situation, tight situation, tight spot |
| Main Entry: | can of worms |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | complicated situation |
Synonyms: |
Gordian knot, Pandora's box, Pandora's box, complex problem, complexity, complication, difficult situation, difficulty, dog's breakfast, entanglement, hard nut to crack, headache, hornet's nest, hot water, hot water, mare's nest, mess, predicament, problem, quagmire, quandary, snafu, snake pit, snarl, trouble, troublesome problem, unpredictable situation |
| Main Entry: | case |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | circumstance, conditions |
Synonyms: |
context, contingency, crisis, dilemma, event, eventuality, fact, incident, occurrence, plight, position, predicament, problem, quandary, situation, state, status |
| Main Entry: | crisis |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | critical situation |
Synonyms: |
big trouble, catastrophe, change, climacteric, climax, confrontation, contingency, corner, crossroad, crunch, crux, culmination, deadlock, dilemma, dire straits, disaster, embarrassment, emergency, entanglement, exigency, extremity, height, hot potato, hour of decision, imbroglio, impasse, juncture, mess, moment of truth, necessity, pass, perplexity, pickle, pinch*, plight, point of no return, predicament, pressure, puzzle, quandary, situation, stew, strait, trauma, trial, trouble, turning point, urgency |
Antonyms: |
calm, peace |
| Main Entry: | deadlock |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | stalemate, impasse |
Synonyms: |
Catch-22, box*, cessation, checkmate, corner, dead end, dead heat, dilemma, draw, full stop, gridlock, halt, hole, pause, pickle, plight, posture, predicament, quandary, standoff, standstill, tie, wall* |
| Notes: | stalemate does not end - it is the outcome (stale in stalemate is from Anglo-Norman meaning 'be placed'); a standoff or deadlock can end |
Antonyms: |
agreement, breakthrough |
| Main Entry: | difficulty |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | problem; situation requiring great effort |
Synonyms: |
adversity, arduousness, awkwardness, barricade, check, complication, crisis, crux, dead end, deadlock, deep water, dilemma, distress, emergency, exigency, fix*, frustration, hardship, hazard, hindrance, hitch*, hot water, impasse, knot*, labor, laboriousness, mess, misfortune, muddle, obstacle, obstruction, pain, painfulness, paradox, perplexity, pickle, predicament, quagmire, quandary, scrape*, snag*, stew, strain, strait, strenuousness, struggle, stumbling block, tribulation, trouble |
Antonyms: |
calm, ease, felicity, peace, tranquility |
| Main Entry: | difficulty |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | mental burden |
Synonyms: |
ado, aggravation, annoyance, anxiety, bafflement, bother, care, charge, complication, crisis, depression, discouragement, distress, embarrassment, emergency, exigency, frustration, grievance, hangup, harassment, imbroglio, inconvenience, irritation, jam, maze, mess, millstone, misery, oppression, perplexity, pickle, pinch, predicament, pressure, puzzle, quandary, ramification, responsibility, scrape*, setback, strain, strait, stress, strife, struggle, to-do, trouble, vicissitude, weight, worry |
Antonyms: |
calmness, contentment, peace, pleasure, satisfaction |
| Main Entry: | dilemma |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | crisis |
Synonyms: |
Catch-22, bind*, box*, corner, difficulty, double bind, embarrassment, fix, hole, hooker, impasse, jam, mess, mire, perplexity, pickle, plight, predicament, problem, puzzle, quandary, scrape, spot, strait, tight corner |
Antonyms: |
miracle, solution, wonder |