quandary
A state of not knowing what to decideA state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a dilemma, a difficult decision or choice.
» We're in a quandary because we have two excellent candidates.
Wir befinden uns in einer Zwickmühle, denn wir haben zwei hervorragende Kandidaten.
Meaning
1 sensesA state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a dilemma, a difficult decision or choice.
Dilemma, verfahrene Situation, Zwickmühle
затруднительное положе́ниеzatrudnitelʹnoje položénije, затрудне́ниеzatrudnénije, недоуме́ниеnedouménije
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
Examples
5 sentencesWe're in a quandary because we have two excellent candidates.
deWir befinden uns in einer Zwickmühle, denn wir haben zwei hervorragende Kandidaten.
Tom was in a quandary about who to vote for in the election.
deTom konnte sich nicht entscheiden, wem er bei der Wahl seine Stimme geben sollte.
I was in a quandary.
Mary is in a bit of a quandary over whether to tell Tom or not.
deMaria ringt mit sich, ob sie’s Tom sagen soll.
The nationwide lockdown has left thousands of foreign tourists and visitors in Italy in a quandary.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
16th century. Origin unknown; perhaps a dialectal corruption (simulating a word of Latin o16th century. Origin unknown; perhaps a dialectal corruption (simulating a word of Latin origin with suffix -ary) of wandreth (“evil, plight, peril, adversity, difficulty”), from Middle English wandreth, from Old Norse vandræði (“difficulty, trouble”), from vándr (“difficult, requiring pains and care”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: quandaries| Singular | quandary |
|---|---|
| Plural | quandaries |
regular
Synonyms
37 synonyms- state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options:dilemma
- a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one:predicamentplight