stalemate

noun/ˈsteɪlmeɪt/

Frequency rank: #12,577 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

a situation in which further action or progress by either side seems impossible; a deadlock.

Illustration for the English word “stalemate”

Example sentence

The negotiators reached a total stalemate after neither side was willing to compromise.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 12,501–12,600