What does mired mean?
Mired means stuck in mud or mire, and by extension deeply trapped in a difficult or unwelcome situation. It is used especially for people, organizations, or projects that are mired in debt, controversy, bureaucracy, or legal complications. The figurative sense implies more than ordinary inconvenience: the subject has become deeply entangled and may struggle to move forward. Mired can function as an adjective, as in “the country was mired in conflict,” or as a participial verb, as in “the storm mired the soldiers in mud.” Although its literal meaning is vividly physical, most modern usage is figurative. The word has a formal, somewhat literary quality and is less conversational than “stuck,” but it usefully conveys persistent, complicated entrapment.
Stuck or impeded in mire; figuratively, deeply involved in a difficult, undesirable, or controversial situation.
"Thousands of commuters were mired in traffic after the accident."
Commonly used predicatively, especially in the figurative expression “mired in.”
To cause to become stuck in mud or mire; figuratively, to entangle, obstruct, or delay.
"The heavy rain mired the hikers in thick mud."
The verb is less common than the adjective and is chiefly used in descriptive or figurative contexts.
Mired began in literal mud, but its sharpest modern image is a person or project stuck fast in an unwelcome situation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How mired is actually used
Mired is chiefly predicative and has a somewhat formal or literary tone. Its figurative use commonly suggests that escape is difficult, especially when the subject is mired in debt, controversy, or administrative complexity; in everyday speech, “stuck” is more neutral.