predicament

predicament
predicamental /pri dik'euh men"tl, pred'i keuh-/, adj.predicamentally, adv.
/pri dik"euh meuhnt/ for 1, 3; /pred"i keuh meuhnt/ for 2, n.
1. an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation.
2. a class or category of logical or philosophical predication.
3. Archaic. a particular state, condition, or situation.
[1350-1400; 1580-90 for def. 1; ME < LL praedicamentum something predicated, asserted, deriv. of praedicare. See PREDICATE, -MENT]
Syn. 1. PREDICAMENT, DILEMMA, PLIGHT, QUANDARY refer to unpleasant or puzzling situations.
PREDICAMENT and PLIGHT stress more the unpleasant nature, QUANDARY and DILEMMA the puzzling nature of the situation. PREDICAMENT and PLIGHT are sometimes interchangeable; PLIGHT, however, though originally meaning peril or danger, is seldom used today except laughingly: When his suit wasn't ready at the cleaners, he was in a terrible plight. PREDICAMENT, though likewise capable of being used lightly, may also refer to a really crucial situation: Stranded in a strange city without money, he was in a predicament.
DILEMMA, in popular use, means a position of doubt or perplexity in which one is faced by two equally undesirable alternatives: the dilemma of a hostess who must choose between offending her anti-drinking guests or disappointing those who expected cocktails. QUANDARY is the state of mental perplexity of one faced with a difficult situation: There seemed to be no way out of the quandary.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • predicament — PREDICAMÉNT, predicamente, s.n. (log.) Categorie (de predicate 2). – Din fr. prédicament. Trimis de oprocopiuc, 08.04.2004. Sursa: DEX 98  PREDICAMÉNT s. v. categorie. Trimis de siveco, 13.09.2007. Sursa: Sinonime  predicamént s. n …   Dicționar Român

  • predicament — predicament, dilemma, quandary, plight, scrape, fix, jam, pickle can all denote a situation from which one does or can extricate himself only with difficulty. Predicament carries the implication that the situation constitutes a problem for those… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • predicament — Predicament. s. m. Categorie. Terme de Logique. Ordre, rang, classe où l on range plusieurs choses de mesme nature. Il y a dix predicaments. la substance est le premier de tous les prédicaments. On dit, qu Un homme est en bon ou en mauvais… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • predicament — [prē dik′ə mənt, pridik′ə mənt] n. [ME < LL(Ec) praedicamentum < L praedicare: see PREACH] 1. a condition or situation, now specif. one that is difficult, unpleasant, embarrassing, or, sometimes, comical 2. Archaic CATEGORY (sense 2) SYN.… …   English World dictionary

  • prédicament — ⇒PRÉDICAMENT, subst. masc. PHILOS. [Chez Aristote] Synon. de catégorie (v. ce mot I A 1). Nous dirons que la continuité est quantitative ou qualitative, selon qu elle concourt ou qu elle ne concourt pas avec la mensurabilité; mais, en opposant… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • predicament — I noun adverse circumstances, adversity, angustiae, barrier, case, circumstance, complication, condition, conjuncture, corner, crisis, critical situation, danger, dangerous condition, difficultas, difficulty, dilemma, embarrassing position,… …   Law dictionary

  • predicament — (n.) late 14c., that which is asserted (a term in logic), from M.L. predicamentum, from L.L. praedicamentum quality, category, something predicted, from L. praedicatus, pp. of praedicare (see PREDICATE (Cf. predicate)), a loan translation of Gk.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • predicament — [n] difficult situation asperity, bad news*, bind*, Catch 22*, circumstance, clutch, condition, corner*, crisis, deadlock, deep water*, dilemma, drag*, emergency, exigency, fix*, hang up*, hardship, hole, hot water*, imbroglio, impasse, jam*,… …   New thesaurus

  • predicament — ► NOUN 1) a difficult situation. 2) Philosophy each of the ten categories in Aristotelian logic. ORIGIN originally in the sense «category», later «state of being»: from Latin praedicamentum something predicated …   English terms dictionary

  • predicament — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ awful, difficult, dire, terrible, worse ▪ Other companies are in an even worse predicament than ourselves. ▪ current, present …   Collocations dictionary

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