mire

/maɪər/ literary

Say it: MY-er

1. noun A complicated or unpleasant situation from which it is difficult to escape.
The company was sinking into a mire of debt and poor management.
2. noun An area of soft, wet, muddy ground, like a swamp or bog.
The horse's hooves sank deep into the mire after the heavy rain.
3. verb To cause to become stuck in a difficult situation or in mud.
The debate became mired in petty, irrelevant details.
🇪🇸 cieno

📖 Seen in the wild

The more conscious I was of the good and of all this “beautiful and lofty,” the deeper I kept sinking into my mire, and the more capable I was of getting completely stuck in it.
collected by @missha

✏️ mire in a sentence

The peace talks are mired in disputes over historical grievances.
He felt he was being pulled down into a mire of despair.
After the flood, the entire lower field was a thick, impassable mire.
She managed to pull the project out of the bureaucratic mire it had fallen into.
The administration found itself mired in scandal just months after taking office.
Be careful walking near the riverbank; it's a mire of slick mud and reeds.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

quagmire predicament morass bog entanglement mess swamp

quagmire · suggests a situation that is not only messy but also precarious and unstable.

predicament · focuses more on the difficulty of the choice or problem to be solved, rather than the feeling of being stuck.

morass · implies a confusing and overwhelming situation that is hard to navigate, much like a literal swamp.

bog · a very direct synonym for the literal sense, often used figuratively as in 'bogged down'.

Opposites: solid ground, firm footing, extrication, solution

🌱 Where it comes from

The word 'mire' slogged its way into English around the 13th century from Old Norse 'mýrr', which simply meant 'bog' or 'swamp'. For centuries, it referred to literal mud. By the 16th century, writers began using it figuratively to describe being stuck in any kind of messy, unpleasant situation, a meaning that has become its most common use today.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

mired in controversya mire of corruptionstuck in the miremired in debtpull out of the mire

While 'mire' has a literal meaning of mud or swamp, it is far more frequently used in its figurative sense. It carries a strong negative connotation, suggesting a situation that is not just difficult but also dirty, corrupt, or stagnant. The verb form is almost exclusively used in the passive voice, as in 'to be mired in something', to describe a state of being stuck rather than the action of sticking something in mud.

Word family: mired

💬 Quick answers

What does mire mean?

A mire can be a literal swamp or patch of deep mud, but it more often refers to a complex and unpleasant situation that is difficult to escape, such as a mire of debt or controversy.

What's the difference between a mire and a quagmire?

Both words refer to a bog or a difficult situation. Quagmire can suggest a greater sense of precariousness, as if the ground might give way. Figuratively, they are very close in meaning, though mire can carry a stronger connotation of filth or moral corruption.

Is 'mire' a formal word?

Yes, 'mire' is generally considered a formal or literary word. It is more common in writing, such as in news reports and literature, than in casual, everyday conversation.

How is the verb 'mire' typically used?

The verb 'mire' is almost always used in its past participle form, 'mired', to describe a state of being stuck. For example, you would say a project is 'mired in delays' or a politician is 'mired in scandal'.

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