dilemma

noun

di·lem·ma də-ˈle-mə How to pronounce dilemma (audio)

also dī-

: a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice

faces this dilemma: raise interest rates and slow the economy or lower them and risk serious inflation

: a situation involving such a choice

here am I brought to a very pretty dilemma; I must commit murder or commit matrimony

George Farquhar

broadly : predicament

lords and bailiffs were in a terrible dilemma

G. M. Trevelyan

: a problem involving a difficult choice

the dilemma of "liberty versus order"

J. M. Burns

: a difficult or persistent problem

unemployment … the great central dilemma of our advancing technology

August Heckscher

: an argument presenting two or more equally conclusive alternatives against an opponent

dilemmatic

ˌdi-lə-ˈma-tik How to pronounce dilemma (audio)

also ˌdī-

adjective

Example Sentences

When it comes to the boss, there is a real dilemma. You're caught between a career-limiting rejection of virtual friendship or a career-limiting access to photos of yourself glassy-eyed at a party.

Jared Sandberg, Wall Street Journal, 10 July 2007 What's a pampered 20-something to do when her rich fiancé goes on a business trip and comes back married to someone else? That's the dilemma facing Elle Medina in Nichols's delightfully silly, vivacious debut.

Publishers Weekly, 28 June 2004 Both authors are prepared to dwell as long on the savor of a ripe melon as on the significance of a moral dilemma.

Roger Shattuck, New York Review of Books, 13 June 2002 The country's decision to go to war has caused a major dilemma for its allies. We're facing a terrible dilemma. I don't know what to do; it's a real dilemma. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Markus Zwink has expanded the score, written by Rochus Dedler of Oberammergau in the 1810s, toward a Beethovian muscularity, with hints of Mahlerian neurosis amplifying Judas’s dilemma.

Dominic Green, WSJ, 12 Sep. 2022 Expressing one’s enthusiasm for Glass Onion, Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out, presents a dilemma.

John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2022 Moreira’s dilemma gets at the shortcomings of Biden’s student debt relief plan, say activists and researchers.

Diti Kohli, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 Now the attorney general faced a new dilemma: what to do about the missing documents.

Anchorage Daily News, 13 Aug. 2022 But the change in the law meant her OB-GYN, Dr. Jordan Crow, faced a dilemma.

Kristen Dahlgren, NBC News, 8 Aug. 2022 In our new feature, Trip Quandary, three travel advisers take on a typical dilemma and do their best to calm decision-making jitters and suggest sound solutions.

Donna Bulseco, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 The perfect solution to the 'no drawing on the walls' dilemma.

Alicia Mies, Good Housekeeping, 1 Sep. 2022 In the 300 years since Isaac Newton outlined the dilemma in his Principia, diligent physicists have only been able to offer special-case solutions for restricted versions of the problem.

WIRED, 30 Aug. 2022 See More

单词	dilemma
释义	dilemma noun di·lem·ma də-ˈle-mə also dī- 1 a : a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice faces this dilemma: raise interest rates and slow the economy or lower them and risk serious inflation b : a situation involving such a choice here am I brought to a very pretty dilemma; I must commit murder or commit matrimony George Farquhar broadly : predicament lords and bailiffs were in a terrible dilemma G. M. Trevelyan 2 a : a problem involving a difficult choice the dilemma of "liberty versus order" J. M. Burns b : a difficult or persistent problem unemployment … the great central dilemma of our advancing technology August Heckscher 3 : an argument presenting two or more equally conclusive alternatives against an opponent dilemmatic ˌdi-lə-ˈma-tik also ˌdī- adjective Synonyms catch-22 double bind quandary See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences When it comes to the boss, there is a real dilemma. You're caught between a career-limiting rejection of virtual friendship or a career-limiting access to photos of yourself glassy-eyed at a party. Jared Sandberg, Wall Street Journal, 10 July 2007 What's a pampered 20-something to do when her rich fiancé goes on a business trip and comes back married to someone else? That's the dilemma facing Elle Medina in Nichols's delightfully silly, vivacious debut. Publishers Weekly, 28 June 2004 Both authors are prepared to dwell as long on the savor of a ripe melon as on the significance of a moral dilemma. Roger Shattuck, New York Review of Books, 13 June 2002 The country's decision to go to war has caused a major dilemma for its allies. We're facing a terrible dilemma. I don't know what to do; it's a real dilemma. See More Recent Examples on the Web Markus Zwink has expanded the score, written by Rochus Dedler of Oberammergau in the 1810s, toward a Beethovian muscularity, with hints of Mahlerian neurosis amplifying Judas’s dilemma. Dominic Green, WSJ, 12 Sep. 2022 Expressing one’s enthusiasm for Glass Onion, Rian Johnson’s sequel to Knives Out, presents a dilemma. John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2022 Moreira’s dilemma gets at the shortcomings of Biden’s student debt relief plan, say activists and researchers. Diti Kohli, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Sep. 2022 Now the attorney general faced a new dilemma: what to do about the missing documents. Anchorage Daily News, 13 Aug. 2022 But the change in the law meant her OB-GYN, Dr. Jordan Crow, faced a dilemma. Kristen Dahlgren, NBC News, 8 Aug. 2022 In our new feature, Trip Quandary, three travel advisers take on a typical dilemma and do their best to calm decision-making jitters and suggest sound solutions. Donna Bulseco, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022 The perfect solution to the 'no drawing on the walls' dilemma. Alicia Mies, Good Housekeeping, 1 Sep. 2022 In the 300 years since Isaac Newton outlined the dilemma in his Principia, diligent physicists have only been able to offer special-case solutions for restricted versions of the problem. WIRED, 30 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Late Latin, from Late Greek dilēmmat-, dilēmma, probably back-formation from Greek dilēmmatos involving two assumptions, from di- + lēmmat-, lēmma assumption — more at lemma First Known Use 1523, in the meaning defined at sense 3 Phrases Containing dilemma on the horns of a dilemma on the horns of a dilemma Kids Definition dilemma noun di·lem·ma də-ˈle-mə : a situation in which a person has to choose between things that are all bad or unsatisfactory He was faced with the dilemma of having to tell on his best friend, or not telling and getting blamed himself. dilemma noun 1 as in problem a situation in which one has to choose between two or more equally unsatisfactory choices faced with a dilemma of whether to risk continuing to drive in the dangerous storm or to give up searching for the lost dog and hope he survived Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance problem quandary difficulty double bind predicament catch-22 pickle impasse deadlock quagmire plight standoff stalemate bind fix jam pinch knot spot hole Antonyms & Near Antonyms breeze snap cinch duck soup 2 as in predicament a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape with home prices in a free fall, sellers were in a terrible dilemma Synonyms & Similar Words predicament pickle hole bind difficulty swamp corner crisis jam impasse quagmire box fix plight spot catch-22 mire quandary rabbit hole trouble sticky wicket rattrap jackpot kettle of fish hot water soup node crossroad emergency deadlock pinch strait standstill stalemate exigency logjam halt juncture clutch scrape
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dilemma

noun

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing dilemma

Kids Definition

noun

noun