DILEMMA

noun see: lemma Date: 1523 an argument presenting two or more equally conclusive alternatives against an opponent, 2. a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice , a situation involving such a choice , 3. a problem involving a difficult choice , a difficult or persistent problem , ~tic adjective Usage: Although some commentators insist that ~ be restricted to instances in which the alternatives to be chosen are equally unsatisfactory, their concern is misplaced; the unsatisfactoriness of the options is usually a matter of how the author presents them. What is distressing or painful about a ~ is having to make a choice one does not want to make. The use of such adjectives as terrible, painful, and irreconcilable suggests that ~ is losing some of its unpleasant force. There also seems to be a tendency especially in sense 3b toward applying the word to less weighty problems .