quandary
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
16th 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 vandr (“difficult, requiring pains and care”).[1][2]
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
quandary (plural quandaries)
- 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.
- A dilemma, a difficult decision or choice.
- 1995, Robert Frost, Collected Poems, Prose & Plays, page 475
- 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.
- 1995, Douglas N. Walton & Erik C. W. Krabbe, Commitment in Dialogue: Basic Concepts of Interpersonal Reasoning, page 54
- But we may suppose that John has set his priorities in such a way that the quandary is spurious.
- 2000, Carol Ann Strip & Gretchen Hirsch, Helping Gifted Children Soar, page 208
- What a difficult quandary for a bright, talented child!
- 2004, Jennifer Traig, Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood, page 181
- Then I would begin contemplating the next quandary: "Does the Torah say it's okay to portray a hooker, and is a heart of gold a mitigating factor?"
- 1995, Robert Frost, Collected Poems, Prose & Plays, page 475
Synonyms [edit]
Translations [edit]
a state of not knowing what to decide
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a dilemma
References [edit]
- ^ quandary in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- ^ quandary in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- quandary at OneLook Dictionary Search
