also: ドロぬま
noun
Literal muddy wetland; often implies a place difficult to walk through or get out of.
その道は雨で泥沼のようになっていた。
The road had turned into a quagmire after the rain.
noun
Only with reading どろぬま / ドロぬま
Figurative use: a difficult, entangled situation from which it is hard to escape. Often used with verbs like はまる (get stuck in) or 抜け出す (get out of).
彼は借金の泥沼にはまってしまった。
He got stuck in a morass of debt.
交渉は泥沼化している。
The negotiations have bogged down.