quandaryquan‧da‧ry /ˈkwɒndəri $ ˈkwɑːn-/ noun (plural quandaries) [countable] 
Word Origin
Kate was in a quandary over whether to go or not.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINquandary
ExamplesOrigin:
1500-1600 Perhaps from Latin quando ‘when’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- A new book thoughtfully analyzes the quandary.
- But they were in a quandary about how to blend their vastly different tastes.
- If the laws change and make your will obsolete, the lawyer is in a quandary.
- Imposing answers to thorny moral quandaries ought to be an option of last resort in a democracy.
- Of course, there is an upside to every quandary.
- Perhaps if I could ask you a few questions, it might help me in my quandary.
- This put Mr Babbitt in a quandary.
- Young actresses dwell in a quandary.
Longman Language Activatorto be in a very difficult situation► be in a fix
a difficult situation or problem, especially one in which you cannot decide what to do SYN dilemmain a quandary informal to be in a difficult situation and not know what to do: · The team's owner is in a fix - he's spent a lot to improve the stadium, but ticket sales are still declining.· Wyck's business consists of helping, for a fee, computer owners who are in a technical fix.
► be in a tight spot/corner to be in a very difficult or dangerous situation, when there is very little you can do to get out of it: · A mobile phone lets you reach help when you're in a tight spot.· O'Neill had been in tight corners before, but never as tight as this one.put somebody in a tight spot (=give someone a difficult problem): · Losing his job put them in a tight spot financially.
► be in a mess/be a mess to have so many problems that there is not much hope that things will get better, especially as a result of past mistakes: · The previous manager had left the restaurant's affairs in a terrible mess.get into a mess: · How did you manage to get into this mess in the first place?somebody's life is a mess (=they have a lot of problems and seem unable to deal with them): · Her boyfriend left her and she lost her job - her life is just a mess at the moment.
► be in a difficult/awkward position to be in a difficult situation because whatever you do, you are likely to offend someone or make things worse: · I was in a difficult position, as I was being asked to confront a man who had much more power than I did.put somebody in a difficult/awkward position: · Clara was angry at Harry for putting her in such an awkward position.
► be in an impossible position to be in an extremely difficult situation, because whatever you do there will certainly be serious trouble: · I'm in an impossible position -- if I criticize him he may resign, but if I don't he'll end up ruining the whole project.put somebody in an impossible position: · By bringing his objections out into the open, the Chancellor has put the Prime Minister in an impossible position.
► be in a quandary to be in a very difficult situation and not be able to decide what is the best thing for you to do: · I was in a quandary - I didn't know whether to tell the police or not.· The government has got itself into a quandary over the new tax -- if they abandon it they will be seen as weak, if they keep it they will be very unpopular.
► be in dire straits to have very serious problems, especially financial ones, which could have very serious results: · The company is in dire financial straits.· The team is in such dire straits they've even considered selling their three best players.
► it's one thing after another spoken say this when you have had a series of problems and you feel that these problems will never end: · It's been one thing after another since I started renting out the place to students.· It's one thing after another with that stupid photocopier! What's wrong with it now?
Kate was in a quandary over whether to go or not.