Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Predicament for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Predicament" — noun, pronounced /prɪˈdɪkəmənt/, with the stress on "dic".
Narrator: A predicament is an unpleasant or difficult situation that is hard to get out of.
Narrator: In plain English, you are in a predicament when you are stuck.
Narrator: It comes from the Late Latin praedicamentum, first meaning a category in logic.
Narrator: A common collocation is "in a predicament", which describes being caught in trouble.
Narrator: It differs from "problem", because a predicament is a whole awkward situation, not one issue.
Narrator: It can be light-hearted too, like the predicament of two parties on the same night.
Narrator: Journalism, storytelling, politics and law all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: a predicament is a tricky trap.
Speaker A: What do you call locking your keys in the car in the rain?
Speaker B: A proper predicament! PREDICAMENT once meant a logical category, then came to mean a tricky state.
Speaker A: So it is a situation you cannot easily escape?
Speaker B: Exactly.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "I'm in a bit of a predicament", a casual admission. "The loan left them in a financial predicament", describing hardship. "She explained her predicament to the bank", seeking help.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Say in a predicament, not on a predicament, and spell it with "-ament".
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Plight is its serious cousin, dilemma is its choosing twin, and pickle is the playful alternative, but predicament keeps its sticky charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "predicament" in AI prompts — useful for customer support and interactive stories.
Speaker A: How would support teams use it?
Speaker B: Understand the customer's situation.
Prompt: Summarise this customer's predicament in one sentence and suggest the fastest way to resolve it.
Speaker A: And interactive stories?
Speaker B: Build choices around trouble.
Prompt: Write a choose-your-own-adventure scene where the hero faces a predicament with three possible escape choices.
Speaker A: Could it help advice apps?
Speaker B: Yes, with calm options.
Prompt: Given this tenant's predicament with an unreturned deposit, list the practical next steps in England.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Training materials.
Prompt: Create a workplace role-play scenario where a manager faces a scheduling predicament.
Predicament — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary