di ‧ lem ‧ ma /dəˈlemə, dɪˈlemə, daɪ-/ BrE AmE 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 ↑ horn 1 (6)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ 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.
■ adjectives
▪ 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.
■ phrases
▪ 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.