dilemma

n.

1. A situation that requires a choice between options that are or seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.
2. Usage Problem. A problem that seems to defy a satisfactory solution.
3. Logic. An argument that presents two alternatives, each of which has the same consequence.

[Late Latin, from Greek dilēmma, ambiguous proposition : di-, two; see di–¹ + lēmma, proposition; see lemma¹.]

dilemmatic dil'em·mat'ic (dĭl'ə-măt'ĭk) adj.

USAGE NOTE   A dilemma is a situation in which a choice must be made between alternative courses of action or argument. Although citational evidence attests to widespread use of the term meaning simply “problem” or “predicament” and involving no issue of choice, 58 percent of the Usage Panel in our 1999 survey rejected the sentence Historically, race has been the great dilemma of democracy. • It is sometimes claimed that because the di– in dilemma comes from a Greek prefix meaning “two,” the word should be used only when exactly two choices are involved. Nevertheless, 64 percent of the Usage Panel in our 1988 survey accepted its use for choices among three or more options.

noun

A difficult, often embarrassing situation or condition: box¹, corner, deep water, difficulty, Dutch, fix, hole, hot spot, hot water, jam, plight¹, predicament, quagmire, scrape, soup, trouble. Informal bind, pickle, spot. See easy/hard.

n

Definition: crisis
Antonyms: miracle, solution, wonder

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The simplest form of a dilemma is an argument of the form: ‘If p then q, if not-p then q, so in any event q.’ More complex forms were traditionally distinguished. A constructive dilemma is of the form: ‘If p then r, if q then r, but either p or q, so r.’ A destructive dilemma is of the form: ‘If p then q, and if p then r, but either not-q or not-r, so not-p.’ The two conditional premises of a dilemma are called its horns. Escaping between the horns of the dilemma is denying the disjunction ‘p or q’; taking it by the horns is denying one of the conditionals. The notion generalizes to trilemmas, in which there are three horns (see, for example, Bayle's trilemma). For other dilemmas see Euthyphro dilemma, moral dilemmas, prisoners' dilemma.

IN BRIEF: A difficult choice between things that are equally unpleasant.

Nuclear war is not a military problem; it is a moral dilemma. — King Hussein (1935-1999).

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - dilemma, knibe

Nederlands (Dutch)
tweestrijd, dilemma

Français (French)
n. - dilemme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Dilemma, Bedrängnis, Zwiespalt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δίλημμα

Italiano (Italian)
dilemma

Português (Portuguese)
n. - dilema (m)

Русский (Russian)
дилемма

Español (Spanish)
n. - dilema, tipo de silogismo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - dilemma

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
困境, 进退两难, 两难推理, 两刀论法

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 困境, 進退兩難, 兩難推理, 兩刀論法

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 양단 논법, 궁지

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ジレンマ, 窮地

idioms:

• on the horns of a dilemma    進退きわまって

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حاله يجب على شخص أن يختار بين بديلين غير مرغوب فيهما, حيرة, ورطه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מצב של צורך לבחור בין שתי אפשרויות, דילמה, תסבוכת, מצב קשה‬

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