Adjacent Words

Predicament definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PREDIC'AMENT, n. [L. proedicamentum, from proedico, to affirm.]
1. In logic, a category; a series or order of all the predicates or attributes contained under any genus. The school philosophers distribute all the objects of our thoughts and ideas into genera or classes, which the Greeks call categories, and the Latins predicaments. Aristotle made ten categories, viz. substance, quantity, quality, relation, action, passion, time, place, situation and habit.
2. Class or kind described by any definite marks; hence, condition; particular situation or state.
We say, the country is in a singular predicament.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one; "finds himself in a most awkward predicament"; "the woeful plight of homeless people" [syn: predicament, quandary, plight]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin praedicamentum, from praedicare Date: 14th century 1. the character, status, or classification assigned by a predication; specifically category 1 2. condition, state; especially a difficult, perplexing, or trying situation

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation. 2 Philos. a category in (esp. Aristotelian) logic. Etymology: ME (in sense 2) f. LL praedicamentum thing predicated: see PREDICATE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Predicament Pre*dic"a*ment, n. [Cf. F. pr['e]dicament, L. praedicamentum. See Predicate.] 1. A class or kind described by any definite marks; hence, condition; particular situation or state; especially, an unfortunate or trying position or condition. ``O woeful sympathy; piteous predicament!'' --Shak. 2. (Logic) See Category. Syn: Category; condition; state; plight.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(predicaments) If you are in a predicament, you are in an unpleasant situation that is difficult to get out of. The decision will leave her in a peculiar predicament. N-COUNT: usu with supp

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Situation (especially a bad situation), condition, state, position, posture, attitude, plight, case. 2. (Colloq.) Pass, pinch, push, extremity, exigency, emergency, conjuncture. 3. (Log.) Category, head of predication.

Moby Thesaurus

adverse circumstances, adversity, affliction, aggravation, annoyance, baffle, bafflement, bearings, bewilderment, bind, blight, blood, bother, box, bracket, branch, breakers ahead, bummer, cardhouse, care, case, case of need, caste, category, cause for alarm, circumstance, clan, class, clutch, complication, condition, confoundment, confusion, corner, crisis, cross, crunch, curse, danger, dangerous ground, deep water, difficulties, difficulty, dilemma, dire necessity, discomposure, disconcert, disconcertedness, disconcertion, disconcertment, disturbance, division, downer, embarrassing position, embarrassment, emergency, endangerment, enigma, estate, exigence, exigency, fine how-do-you-do, fix, footing, gaping chasm, gathering clouds, grade, group, grouping, hard knocks, hard life, hard lot, hardcase, hardship, hazard, head, heading, hell to pay, hobble, hole, hot, hot water, house of cards, how-do-you-do, imbroglio, immediacy, impasse, imperative, imperativeness, imperilment, in a bind, irritation, jam, jeopardy, kin, label, level, location, lot, matter of necessity, menace, mess, mix, modality, mode, morass, mystery, nonplus, order, parlous straits, pass, peril, perplexity, perturbation, pickle, pigeonhole, pinch, place, plight, position, posture, pother, pressingness, pressure, pretty pass, pretty pickle, pretty predicament, problem, puzzle, puzzlement, quagmire, quandary, quicksand, race, rank, rating, riddle, rigor, risk, rocks ahead, rubric, scrape, sea of troubles, section, sept, set, situation, slough, spot, squeeze, standing, state, station, status, stew, sticky wicket, storm clouds, strain, strait, straits, stratum, stress, stress of life, subdivision, subgroup, suborder, swamp, thin ice, threat, tight spot, tight squeeze, tightrope, title, trial, tribulation, tricky spot, trouble, troubles, unassuredness, unholy mess, upset, urgency, urgent need, vale of tears, vicissitude