Standard Lemma guide

trilemma

noun · 3 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.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /tɹaɪˈlɛmə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛmə

1

noun

Meaning 1

A circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options 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

A situation in which a choice must be made among three desirable options, only two of which are possible at the same time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An argument containing three alternatives, jointly exhaustive either under any condition(s) or under all condition(s) consistent with the universe of discourse of that argument, that each imply the same conclusion.

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

History

Etymology

The word is modelled on dilemma, with di- (“two, twice, double”) replaced by tri- (“three”), equivalent to tri- + lemma.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: trilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Chinese Mandarin: 三难困境 (sānnánkùnjìng) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Czech: trilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Dutch: trilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Esperanto: trilemo — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • French: trilemme — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Galician: trilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Georgian: ტრილემა (ṭrilema) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • German: Trilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Greek: τρίλημμα (trílimma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Indonesian: trilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Italian: trilemma — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Japanese: 三すくみ — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Korean: 트릴레마 (teurillema) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Portuguese: trilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Russian: трилемма (trilemma) — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Spanish: trilema — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Vietnamese: tam nan — circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options
  • Czech: trilema — (logic) argument containing three alternatives
  • Esperanto: trilemo — (logic) argument containing three alternatives
  • Galician: trilema — (logic) argument containing three alternatives
  • Russian: трилемма (trilemma) — (logic) argument containing three alternatives