dilemma
[noun]
Synonyms: predicament, difficulty, mess, plight, problem, puzzle, quandary, spot (informal)

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Related Idioms: horns of a dilemma
Related Words: bewilderment, mystification, perplexity

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

di‧lem‧ma /dəˈlemə, dɪˈlemə, daɪ-/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Greek; Origin: 'double statement', from lemma 'statement']
a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all the choices seem equally good or equally bad:
a moral dilemma
in a dilemma
I’m in a dilemma about this job offer.
This placed Robert Kennedy in a dilemma.
Many women are faced with the dilemma of choosing between work and family commitments.
⇒ be on the horns of a dilemma at horn¹(6)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

dilemma
noun
ADJ. acute, appalling, big, difficult, genuine, great, impossible, real, serious, terrible, thorny | central, essential, fundamental The fundamental dilemma remains: in a tolerant society, should we tolerate intolerance?
familiar, perennial | human | personal | ethical, moral | policy, political
VERB + DILEMMA create, pose This poses a difficult dilemma for teachers.
be caught in, be faced with, confront, face, have They were caught in a real dilemma.
resolve, solve I could see no way of resolving this moral dilemma.
DILEMMA + VERB arise, occur, present itself the dilemma that arises when a doctor has to decide whether or not to prescribe an expensive treatment
lie The dilemma over human cloning lies at the heart of the ethical choices facing society.
confront sb, face sb The dilemma facing the country's allies was even more serious.
remain
PREP. in a/the ~ The minister is now in an impossible dilemma.
~ about/over She faced a dilemma about whether to accept the offer or not.
~ between the perennial dilemma between getting on at work and fulfilling family commitments
PHRASES a solution to a dilemma, a way out of a dilemma I couldn't see any way out of the dilemma.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dilemma

be in a dilemma
After years of recession, the company was in a dilemma over its future.
face a dilemma/be faced with a dilemma
Women may still be faced with the dilemma of choosing between jobs and families.
pose/create a dilemma
The difficult economic situation poses a dilemma for investors.
put/place somebody in a dilemma
His divided loyalties placed him in a dilemma.
resolve/solve a dilemma
People often need help with resolving their dilemmas.
explain your dilemma (=talk about it)
He explained his dilemma to me.
a difficult/serious dilemma
He was in a serious dilemma because neither option seemed very desirable.
a terrible dilemma
She was in a terrible dilemma because she loved both men.
a moral/ethical/political etc dilemma
Doctors face a moral dilemma over how long to prolong someone's life.
a personal dilemma
The men who were on strike faced a personal dilemma over whether to return to work.
a painful dilemma (=a very difficult one)
She faced the painful dilemma of having to decide whether to tell the police about her son's crimes.
a common/familiar dilemma (=one that a lot of people have)
Deciding whether to put an elderly parent in a nursing home is a common dilemma.
the central dilemma (=the main one)
The Prime Minister's central dilemma was whether war was justified.
a way out of a dilemma (=a way to solve it)
There seemed to be no way out of the dilemma.
a solution to a dilemma (=a way to solve it)
One possible solution to the dilemma may be to divide the money equally betweeen the brothers.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dilemma
dɪˈlemə
See: horns of a dilemma

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲