# dilemma

/dɪˈɫɛmə/ (US) · /daɪlˈɛmɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dilemma
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. choice between bad options

noun · CEFR B2

a situation where you have to choose between two or more things, but none of them are good.

For teachers: a state of uncertainty or perplexity in which a choice must be made between two or more equally undesirable alternatives.

- He faced a difficult dilemma: stay in a job he hated or quit and have no money.
- The ethical dilemma of whether to report a colleague's minor mistake or maintain professional loyalty weighed heavily on the manager's mind.

Usage: Commonly used with the verbs 'face', 'pose', or 'resolve'.

Teaching tip: Strictly speaking, a dilemma involves exactly two choices (from the Greek 'di-'), but in modern English, it is commonly used for any number of difficult options.

### 2. a general problem

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a difficult problem that is hard to solve.

For teachers: any difficult or persistent problem; often used loosely to describe a general predicament rather than a specific choice.

- The city's traffic dilemma has only gotten worse over the last few years.
- The ongoing housing dilemma in urban centres requires a multifaceted approach that addresses both supply and affordability.

Teaching tip: Purists may dislike this 'loose' use of the word, but it is very common in journalism and daily speech.

### 3. logical argument

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical · Academic

a type of formal argument in logic where two different paths lead to the same result.

For teachers: a form of syllogism in which the major premise consists of two conditional propositions and the minor premise is a disjunctive proposition.

- The professor used a logical dilemma to prove that both theories led to the same conclusion.
- In formal logic, a constructive dilemma allows one to infer the truth of a disjunction from the premises provided.

## Examples

- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.