Standard Lemma guide

dilemma

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • dī-lĕmʹə or dĭ-lĕmʹə
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /daɪˈlɛmə/
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈlɛmə/
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /dɑeˈlemə/
  • Australian: /dɪˈlemə/
  • New-Zealand: /daɪˈlemə/
  • New-Zealand: /dəˈlemə/
  • rhymes with -ɛmə
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 L EH1 M AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any difficult circumstance or problem.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bind, fix, pickle, problem, quandary, ass in a sling, bucket of syrup, calvary, cauldron, cross, cross to bear, difficulty, dilemma, dire straits, doghouse, hole, jam, kettle, kettle of fish, ordeal, pinch, plight, predicament, quagmire, situation, spot, spot of bother, sticky situation, sticky wicket, tight spot, trouble

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

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".

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, logic, mathematics, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Offering to an opponent a choice between two (equally unfavorable) alternatives.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rhetoric

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quandary

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: perplexity

Narrower terms: double bind

History

Etymology

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”), equivalent to di- + lemma.

Across languages

Translations

85 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُعْضِلَة (muʕḍila) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Armenian: երկընտրանք (erkəntrankʻ) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Armenian: դիլեմա (dilema) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Belarusian: дыле́ма (dyljéma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Bulgarian: диле́ма (diléma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Bulgarian: или-или (ili ili) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Catalan: dilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Chinese Mandarin: 困境 (kùnjìng) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Chinese Mandarin: 進退兩難的境地 /进退两难的境地 (jìntuìliǎngnán de jìngdì) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Chinese Mandarin: 兩難 /两难 (liǎngnán) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Czech: dilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Dutch: dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Esperanto: dilemo — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Finnish: dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • French: dilemme — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Galician: dilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Georgian: დილემა (dilema) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • German: Dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Greek: δίλημμα (dílimma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Ancient Greek: δίλημμα (dílēmma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Hebrew: דילמה (diléma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Hindi: दुविधा (duvidhā) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Hindi: संशय (sañśay) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Hindi: असमंजस (asmañjas) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Hungarian: dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Icelandic: valkreppa — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Icelandic: valtvenna — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Icelandic: valþröng — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Icelandic: ógöngur (sbr. ógöngurök, ógöngurökfærsla) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Ido: dilemo — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Irish: aincheist — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Italian: dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Japanese: ジレンマ (jirenma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Korean: 딜레마 (dillema) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Latin: dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Macedonian: дилема (dilema) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Malayalam: ധർമ്മസങ്കടം (dhaṟmmasaṅkaṭaṁ) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Persian: دوراهی (dorâhi) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Polish: dylemat — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Portuguese: dilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Romanian: dilemă — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Russian: диле́мма (dilémma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Scottish Gaelic: aincheist — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Serbo-Croatian: дилема — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Serbo-Croatian: dilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Slovak: dilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Spanish: dilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Spanish: disyuntiva — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Swedish: dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Telugu: విచికిత్స (vicikitsa) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Turkish: ikilem — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Turkish: dilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Ukrainian: диле́ма (dyléma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Volapük: diläm — circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives
  • Arabic: مِحْنَة (miḥna) — difficult circumstance
  • Catalan: dilema — difficult circumstance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 窘境 (jiǒngjìng) — difficult circumstance
  • Chinese Mandarin: 困境 (kùnjìng) — difficult circumstance
  • Esperanto: dilemo — difficult circumstance
  • Finnish: dilemma — difficult circumstance
  • Finnish: pulma — difficult circumstance
  • Galician: dilema — difficult circumstance
  • Georgian: დილემა (dilema) — difficult circumstance
  • Hebrew: דילמה (diléma) — difficult circumstance
  • Hindi: दुविधा (duvidhā) — difficult circumstance
  • Hindi: असमंजस (asmañjas) — difficult circumstance
  • Hindi: संशय (sañśay) — difficult circumstance
  • Italian: dilemma — difficult circumstance
  • Persian: مشکل (moškel) — difficult circumstance
  • Plautdietsch: Kjlam — difficult circumstance
  • Polish: dylemat — difficult circumstance
  • Portuguese: dilema — difficult circumstance
  • Russian: диле́мма (dilémma) — difficult circumstance
  • Scottish Gaelic: imcheist — difficult circumstance
  • Spanish: dilema — difficult circumstance
  • Arabic: مُعْضِلَة (muʕḍila) — in logic
  • Chinese Mandarin: 二難推理 /二难推理 (èrnántuīlǐ) — in logic
  • Esperanto: dilemo — in logic
  • Finnish: dilemma — in logic
  • Galician: dilema — in logic
  • Hebrew: דילמה (diléma) — in logic
  • Polish: dylemat — in logic
  • Portuguese: dilema — in logic
  • Spanish: dilema — in logic
  • Tagalog: awampili — in logic
Real reading context

dilemma in complete knowledge articles