Standard Lemma guide

quagmire

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkwæɡ.maɪə(ɹ)/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒɡ.maɪə(ɹ)/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈkwæɡ.maɪɹ/
  • Australian: /ˈkwæɡ.mɑɪə(ɹ)/
  • Australian: /ˈkwɔɡ.mɑɪə(ɹ)/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K W AE1 G M AY2 ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A swampy, soggy area of ground.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • That quagmire regularly ‘swallows’ caught-up hikers’ boots

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: marsh, marshland, mire, quag

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A perilous, mixed up and troubled situation; a hopeless tangle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • The paperwork got lost in a quagmire of bureaucracy.
  • Those election results are a quagmire for any coalition except one of national union.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: predicament, ass in a sling, bind, bucket of syrup, calvary, cauldron, cross, cross to bear, difficulty, dilemma, dire straits, doghouse, fix, hole, jam, kettle, kettle of fish, ordeal, pickle, pinch, plight, quandary, quagmire, situation, spot, spot of bother, sticky situation, sticky wicket, tight spot, trouble

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To embroil (a person, etc.) in complexity or difficulty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mire, quag, morass, slack

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bog, peat bog

History

Etymology

Recorded since 1579, from quag + mire. The sense “perilous, mixed up and troubled situation” has been recorded since 1775. Alternatively, the word may apparently be a variation of the earlier quakemire, from quake + mire. Compare typologically Bulgarian тресавище (tresavište), Polish trzęsawisko, Russian тряси́на (trjasína) (akin to трясти́ (trjastí)); зыбь (zybʹ), зыбу́н (zybún) (<... Proto-Slavic *zybь).

Across languages

Translations

126 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُسْتَنْقَع (mustanqaʕ) — swampy ground
  • Bashkir: һаҙ (haź) — swampy ground
  • Belarusian: бало́та (balóta) — swampy ground
  • Belarusian: дры́гва (drýhva) — swampy ground
  • Belarusian: ба́гна (báhna) — swampy ground
  • Bulgarian: треса́вище (tresávište) — swampy ground
  • Bulgarian: мочур (močur) — swampy ground
  • Catalan: pantà — swampy ground
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沼澤 /沼泽 (zhǎozé) — swampy ground
  • Czech: bažina — swampy ground
  • Czech: močál — swampy ground
  • Czech: třasovisko — swampy ground
  • Danish: sump — swampy ground
  • Danish: dynd — swampy ground
  • Dutch: moeras — swampy ground
  • Finnish: hete — swampy ground
  • Finnish: hetteikkö — swampy ground
  • Finnish: jorpakko — swampy ground
  • French: bourbier — swampy ground
  • French: marais — swampy ground
  • French: marécage — swampy ground
  • Galician: groto — swampy ground
  • Galician: aluteiro — swampy ground
  • Galician: lamazal — swampy ground
  • Galician: tremoeiro — swampy ground
  • Galician: chagorza — swampy ground
  • Galician: toleiro — swampy ground
  • Galician: sapale — swampy ground
  • Galician: foroncho — swampy ground
  • Galician: bulleiro — swampy ground
  • Georgian: ჭაობი (č̣aobi) — swampy ground
  • Georgian: ჭანჭრობი (č̣anč̣robi) — swampy ground
  • German: Sumpf — swampy ground
  • German: Morast — swampy ground
  • German: Morastboden — swampy ground
  • German: Sumpfboden — swampy ground
  • Greek: βάλτος (váltos) — swampy ground
  • Hindi: दलदल (daldal) — swampy ground
  • Hungarian: ingovány — swampy ground
  • Hungarian: mocsár — swampy ground
  • Irish: bogach — swampy ground
  • Italian: pantano — swampy ground
  • Japanese: 泥濘 (nukarumi) — swampy ground
  • Japanese: 沼地 (numachi) — swampy ground
  • Japanese: 湿地 (shitchi) — swampy ground
  • Japanese: 泥沼 (doronuma) — swampy ground
  • Khmer: ភក់ជ្រៅ (phʊək crɨv) — swampy ground
  • Māori: powharu — swampy ground
  • Māori: wharu — swampy ground
  • Māori: oru — swampy ground
  • Māori: poharu — swampy ground
  • Norwegian: myr — swampy ground
  • Norwegian: sump — swampy ground
  • Old Church Slavonic: блато (blato) — swampy ground
  • Old East Slavic: болото (boloto) — swampy ground
  • Persian: باتلاق (bâtlâq) — swampy ground
  • Persian: خلاب (xalâb) — swampy ground
  • Polish: bagno — swampy ground
  • Polish: trzęsawisko — swampy ground
  • Polish: mokradło — swampy ground
  • Polish: grzęzawisko — swampy ground
  • Polish: moczar — swampy ground
  • Polish: błoto — swampy ground
  • Portuguese: pântano — swampy ground
  • Portuguese: charco — swampy ground
  • Portuguese: brejo — swampy ground
  • Portuguese: paul — swampy ground
  • Romanian: mlaștină — swampy ground
  • Russian: боло́то (bolóto) — swampy ground
  • Russian: топь (topʹ) — swampy ground
  • Russian: тряси́на (trjasína) — swampy ground
  • Scots: champ — swampy ground
  • Scottish Gaelic: boglach — swampy ground
  • Serbo-Croatian: močvara — swampy ground
  • Serbo-Croatian: бла̏то — swampy ground
  • Serbo-Croatian: blȁto — swampy ground
  • Slovak: močiar — swampy ground
  • Spanish: pantano — swampy ground
  • Spanish: ciénaga — swampy ground
  • Spanish: tremedal — swampy ground
  • Spanish: cenagal — swampy ground
  • Spanish: barrizal — swampy ground
  • Spanish: lamedal — swampy ground
  • Swedish: gungfly — swampy ground
  • Swedish: moras — swampy ground
  • Swedish: sumpmark — swampy ground
  • Ottoman Turkish: باتاق (batak) — swampy ground
  • Ottoman Turkish: خلاش (hılaş) — swampy ground
  • Ukrainian: трясови́на (trjasovýna) — swampy ground
  • Ukrainian: боло́то (bolóto) — swampy ground
  • Urdu: دلدل (daldal) — swampy ground
  • Walloon: bourbî — swampy ground
  • Walloon: wachisse — swampy ground
  • Walloon: maraexhe — swampy ground
  • Bulgarian: затруднено положение (zatrudneno položenie) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Chinese Mandarin: 泥潭 (nítán) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Czech: šlamastyka — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Danish: dynd — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Danish: hængedynd — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Dutch: moeras — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Dutch: drijfzand — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Finnish: suo — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Finnish: syöverit — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Finnish: kiipeli — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • French: bourbier — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • German: Zwickmühle — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Greek: τέλμα (télma) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Italian: ginepraio — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Japanese: 苦境 (kukyō) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Japanese: 窮地 (kyūchi) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Japanese: 泥沼 (doronuma) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Norwegian: hengemyr — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Norwegian: kvikksand — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Polish: bagno — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Polish: błoto — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Polish: gąszcz — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Portuguese: confusão — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Portuguese: atoleiro — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Russian: тряси́на (trjasína) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Russian: боло́то (bolóto) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Serbo-Croatian: živi pijesak — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Spanish: dilema — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Spanish: apuro — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Spanish: tembladeral — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Swedish: träsk — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
  • Ukrainian: закови́ка (zakovýka) — perilous, mixed up and troubled situation