A dilemma is a situation where you must choose between two or more options, and each choice has serious or unpleasant consequences. It often feels like there is no completely good answer.
From Greek "dilemma" meaning "double proposition" or "two assumptions," formed from "di-" (two) and "lemma" (premise). It originally referred to a type of logical argument with two tough alternatives.
Dilemma literally means "two-lemma"—being trapped between two statements or choices. When people say "moral dilemma," they’re talking about being squeezed between competing values, not just competing preferences.
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