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dilemma Definition

di·lemma (di lemə; also dī-)

noun

  1. an argument necessitating a choice between equally unfavorable or disagreeable alternatives
  2. any situation in which one must choose between unpleasant alternatives
  3. any serious problem

Etymology: LL < LGr(Ec) dilēmma < di-, two + lēmma, proposition: see lemma

dilemma Related Forms

dil′·em·matic (dil′ə matik) adjective

dilemma Synonyms

dilemma

n.

dilemma Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • pose: This poses a dilemma for us in the South West.
  • resolve: Attempt to resolve long-standing dilemma re paying Persia for safety.
  • face: Everyone faces the same dilemmas on the road to the right decision.
  • confront: We confront no dilemmas where there is no right answer; we always know the answer to everything.
  • solve: Mrs Livingstone doesn't think Harry is a good enough match for Celia; a dramatic climax helps to solve a twofold dilemma.
  • encapsulate: This brief overview encapsulates the dilemma that the BDA has faced over the past decade or so.

Converse of subject

confront: For instance, the followers of Stalinist communism were confronted by this dilemma at the end of the 1980s.

Adjective modifier

  • ethical: Where ethical dilemmas have arisen, what steps have you taken to resolve these?
  • moral: In a lot of moral dilemmas I happily say " money isn't everything " .
  • age-old: It sums the age-old dilemma of the SNP, which for three decades has tried to face in two directions at the same time.
  • existential: Her existential dilemma is that she doesn't want to be a grown-up.
  • terrible: The new Children's Act has put counselors in a terrible dilemma.
  • painful: This lecture will explore the medical, ethical and philosophical issues underling these painful human dilemmas.

Noun used with modifier

  • interior: Ask Alice: Do you have an interiors dilemma?
  • pension: The pensions dilemma Is closing down a ' final salary ' pension scheme the right move for charity trustees?
  • leadership: The other two parties have leadership dilemmas, the Tories immediately, Labor more uncertainly.
  • selection: With a full squad to choose from, the coaching team were faced with a selection dilemma prior to kick off.
  • career: The answer isn't a lack of career prospects but an ability to manage career dilemmas they face.

Possessives

prisoner: Put simply, " The Prisoner's Dilemma " is the most enjoyable piece of Prisoner fiction this reviewer has ever read.

Preposition: of

identity: The Plautine comedy reduces the dilemmas of mistaken identity to an archetypal pattern.

Browse dictionary entries near dilemma

  1. dildo
  2. Dilaudid
  3. dilatory
  4. dilator
  5. dilatometer
  6. dilation
  7. dilate
  8. dilatation
  9. dilatant
  10. dilapidation
  1. dilettante
  2. Dili
  3. diligence
  4. diligent
  5. dill
  6. dill pickle
  7. dilly
  8. dillydally
  9. Dilthey
  10. diltiazem