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dilemma

noun

Simple meaning

A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dihlehmuh

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

dɪˈlɛmə

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.

  2. Any difficult circumstance or problem.

  3. rhetoric

    Offering to an opponent a choice between two (equally unfavorable) alternatives.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.

Used this way, dilemma is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use dilemma

  • “She faced a difficult dilemma: quit her job or move to a new city.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

american dilemmamoral dilemmaethical dilemmareal dilemmadilemma facingserious dilemmadilemma gamebasic dilemma

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Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.