Phrase guide
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.
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noun
A dilemma in which someone receives contradictory instructions and cannot act on either.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
(psychology) an unresolvable dilemma; situation in which a person receives contradictory messages from a person who is very powerful
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: dilemma, quandary
History
Coined by English anthropologist, linguist, semiotician and cyberneticist Gregory Bateson.
