A predicament is a difficult, unpleasant, or confusing situation where you're not sure what to do. When you're in a predicament, you feel stuck between bad choices or unsure how to solve a problem that's causing you trouble.

Imagine forgetting your homework at home on the same day your best friend asks to copy yours. You're in a predicament: disappointing your teacher or letting down your friend. Or picture realizing halfway through a camping trip that you packed the tent but forgot the poles. That's definitely a predicament.

The word suggests something more serious than a minor inconvenience. Losing a pencil isn't a predicament, but accidentally deleting your entire science project the night before it's due certainly is. When your soccer ball rolls into a neighbor's yard with an unfriendly dog, you face a genuine predicament about how to get it back.

What makes something a predicament is that feeling of being trapped or stuck, where every option seems problematic. A predicament usually requires creative thinking or tough choices to resolve.