quandary

quandary
noun /ˈkwɑːn.dərɪ/
a) A state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a pickle; a predicament.

To quote the oracle of Delphi, / Love thou thy neighbor as thyself, aye, / And hate him as thyself thou hatest. / There quandary is at its greatest.

b) A dilemma, a difficult decision or choice.

But we may suppose that John has set his priorities in such a way that the quandary is spurious.


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  • Quandary — may refer to:* Dr. Quandary, a fictional character in the video game The Secret Island of Dr. Quandary * Mount Quandary, a mountain of Antarctica * Quandary Peak, a fourteener of Colorado …   Wikipedia

  • Quandary — Quan da*ry, n.; pl. {Quandaries}. [Prob. fr. OE. wandreth adversity, perplexity, Icel. wandr[ae][eth]i difficulty, trouble, fr. vandr difficult.] A state of difficulty or perplexity; doubt; uncertainty. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Quandary — Quan da*ry, v. t. To bring into a state of uncertainty, perplexity, or difficulty. [Obs.] Otway. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • quandary — I noun bafflement, bewilderment, confoundment, confusedness, confusion, difficulty, dilemma, disconcertion, doubt, doubtfulness, dubiety, dubiosity, dubiousness, dubitation, incertitude, indecision, indetermination, irresolution, nonplus,… …   Law dictionary

  • quandary — (n.) 1570s, state of perplexity, of unknown origin, perhaps a quasi Latinism based on L. quando when …   Etymology dictionary

  • quandary — *predicament, dilemma, plight, scrape, fix, jam, pickle Analogous words: *juncture, pass, exigency, emergency, contingency, crisis: *difficulty, hardship, vicissitude: puzzling or puzzle, mystification, perplexity, bewilderment (see corresponding …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • quandary — [n] delicate situation bewilderment, bind, Catch 22*, clutch, corner*, difficulty, dilemma, double trouble*, doubt, embarrassment, hang up*, impasse, mire, perplexity, pickle*, plight, predicament, puzzle, spot*, strait, uncertainty, up a tree*;… …   New thesaurus

  • quandary — ► NOUN (pl. quandaries) ▪ a state of uncertainty. ORIGIN perhaps partly from Latin quando when …   English terms dictionary

  • quandary — [kwän′də rē, kwän′drē] n. pl. quandaries [earlier quandare, prob. orig. jocular pseudo L < L quande, var. of quam, how much (see QUANTITY) + are, inf. suffix] a state of uncertainty; perplexing situation or position; dilemma SYN. PREDICAMENT …   English World dictionary

  • quandary — n. 1) a hopeless quandary 2) in a quandary (we were in a hopeless quandary) * * * [ kwɒnd(ə)rɪ] a hopeless quandary in a quandary (we were in a hopeless quandary) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • quandary — UK [ˈkwɒndərɪ] / US [ˈkwɑndərɪ] noun Word forms quandary : singular quandary plural quandaries be in a quandary …   English dictionary

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