dilemma

First attested 1523, from Late Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma, “ambiguous proposition”), from δι- (di-, “having two of”) + λῆμμα (lêmma, “premise, proposition”).

• enPR: dī-lĕmʹə or dĭ-lĕmʹə
  • (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /daɪˈlɛmə/, /dɪˈlɛmə/

    • Audio (California):

      (file)

  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /dɑeˈlemə/, /dɪˈlemə/
  • (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /daɪˈlemə/, /dəˈlemə/
• Rhymes: -ɛmə

dilemma (plural dilemmas or dilemmata)

2. A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dilemma

   • 1731, Jonathan Swift, An Epistle to Mr. Gay:

     A strong dilemma in a desperate case! / To act with infamy, or quit the place.

4. Any difficult circumstance or problem.

   Synonyms: bind, fix, pickle, problem, quandary; see also Thesaurus:difficult situation

6. (logic) 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".
8. (rhetoric) Offering to an opponent a choice between two (equally unfavorable) alternatives.

• Usage: Many people proscribe sense 2, wanting the word to be reserved to sense 1. Many others either do not know about that prescription or know but refuse to abide by it.
• Spelling: Occasionally misspelled as dilemna, perhaps originally via false analogy with words such as condemn, solemn, and hymn. This spelling has been reportedly taught in many regions of Great Britain and the United States as well as around the world, and can be found in the works of many well-known authors (e.g. Isaac Watts, Defoe & Goldsmith).^[1]

• lemma
• trilemma
• tetralemma
• pentalemma
• polylemma

• between a rock and a hard place
• between the devil and the deep blue sea
• between Scylla and Charybdis
• Buridan's ass
• no-win situation
• catch-22
• damned if one does and damned if one doesn't
• doomed if you do, doomed if you don't
• predicament

• dilemma on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Silva Rhetoricae

• midmeal

Borrowed from Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

• IPA^(key): /ˌdiˈlɛ.maː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: di‧lem‧ma
• Rhymes: -ɛmaː

dilemma n (plural dilemma's, diminutive dilemmaatje n)

1. dilemma (between two alternatives)

• dilemmatisch

From Late Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

• IPA^(key): /ˈdilemːɑ/, [ˈdile̞mːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ilemːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): di‧lem‧ma
• Hyphenation^(key): di‧lem‧ma

dilemma

1. dilemma (between two alternatives)

• “dilemma”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

From Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

• IPA^(key): /diˈlɛm.ma/
• Rhymes: -ɛmma
• Hyphenation: di‧lèm‧ma

dilemma m (plural dilemmi)

1. dilemma (between two alternatives)

• dilemmatico

• dammeli, dimmela

From Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

dilēmma n (genitive dilēmmatis); third declension

1. conclusion from two premises
2. dilemma

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

• dilēmmātus

• Catalan: dilema
• French: dilemme
• Italian: dilemma
• Portuguese: dilema
• Romanian: dilemă
• Spanish: dilema

• “dĭlēmma”, in Gaffiot, 2016.

dilemma n

1. a dilemma (difficult choice between unfavorable options)

• vara i valet och kvalet

• dilemma in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• dilemma in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• dilemma in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Learned borrowing from Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

• IPA^(key): [di.lɛmːɑ]

dilemma (definite accusative dilemmayı, plural dilemmalar)

1. dilemma

   Synonym: ikilem