dilemma
/daɪˈlɛmə/ noun B2- A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.
- Any difficult circumstance or problem.
- A type of syllogism of the form "if A is true then B is true; if C is true then D is true; either A or C is true; therefore either B or D is true".
- Offering to an opponent a choice between two (equally unfavorable) alternatives.
Plural dilemmas
From the library
“When, then, the Count of Monte Cristo, hearing of the dilemma in which you are placed, has sent to offer you seats in his carriage and two places at his windows in the Palazzo Rospoli.” The friends looked at each other with unutterable surprise.
He has two means of extricating me from this dilemma,—the one by a mysterious escape, managed through bribery; the other by buying off my judges with gold.
Consider the classic dilemma of encountering a pun that relies entirely on a phonetic coincidence in the original language.
In the dusty, parchment-filled workshop of London’s most celebrated mapmaker, the fading afternoon sunlight illuminated a profound dilemma.
Learn dilemma in real texts
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