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TOEFL IELTS BNC: 4551 COCA: 4118

dilemma

noun

di·​lem·​ma də-ˈle-mə How to pronounce dilemma (audio)
 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 How to pronounce dilemma (audio)
 also  ˌdī-
adjective
Usage of Dilemma

Although some commentators insist that dilemma be restricted to instances in which the alternatives to be chosen are equally unsatisfactory, their concern is misplaced; the unsatisfactoriness of the options is usually a matter of how the author presents them. What is distressing or painful about a dilemma is having to make a choice one does not want to make. The use of such adjectives as terrible, painful, and irreconcilable suggests that dilemma is losing some of its unpleasant force.

Synonyms

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dilemma was in 1523

Phrases Containing dilemma

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