dilemma
n. countablen. a difficult situation where you must choose between two options that are equally good or equally bad. It often feels like there is no perfect answer.
n. a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable or mutually exclusive alternatives. Often used in ethical or logical contexts to describe a state of indecision.
I face a dilemma between taking the job or staying in school.
The manager faced a difficult dilemma when she had to choose between cutting salaries or firing two employees.
The ethical dilemma at the heart of the novel forces the protagonist to weigh personal loyalty against his professional duty to the state.
PIE word *dwóh₁ First attested 1523, from Late Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma, “ambiguous proposition”), from δι- (di-, “having two of”) + λῆμμα (lêmma, “premise, proposition”).
Commonly paired with the verbs 'face', 'pose', or 'solve'.
I am in a dilemma about to goI am in a dilemma about whether to goWhen followed by a choice, the noun requires 'whether' or a similar conjunction rather than a bare infinitive.