# dilemma
## English
### Etymology

* PIE word
* *dwóh₁
First attested 1523, from Late Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma, “ambiguous proposition”), from δι- (di-, “having two of”) + λῆμμα (lêmma, “premise, proposition”).

### Pronunciation

* enPR: dī-lĕmʹə or dĭ-lĕmʹə
** (UK, US, Canada) IPA: /daɪˈlɛmə/, /dɪˈlɛmə/
*** Audio (California):(file)
** (General Australian) IPA: /dɑɪˈlemə/, /dɪˈlemə/
* Rhymes: -ɛmə

### Noun

dilemma (plural dilemmas or dilemmata)
* A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dilemma
** 1731, Jonathan Swift, An Epistle to Mr. Gay:A strong dilemma in a desperate case! / To act with infamy, or quit the place.
* Any difficult circumstance or problem.
    Synonyms: bind, fix, pickle, problem, quandary; see also Thesaurus:difficult situation
* (logic) A type of syllogism of the form "if A is true then B is true; if C is true then D is true; either A or C is true; therefore either B or D is true".
* (rhetoric) Offering to an opponent a choice between two (equally unfavorable) alternatives.

#### Usage notes

* Usage: Many people proscribe sense 2, wanting the word to be reserved to sense 1. Many others either do not know about that prescription or know but refuse to abide by it.
* Spelling: Occasionally misspelled as dilemna, perhaps originally via false analogy with words such as condemn, solemn, and hymn. This spelling has been reportedly taught in many regions of Great Britain and the United States as well as around the world, and can be found in the works of many well-known authors (e.g. Isaac Watts, Defoe & Goldsmith).

#### Derived terms

* dilemmalike
* dilemmanade
* dilemmatic
* dilemmaticity
* dilemmic
* Euthyphro dilemma
* false dilemma
* Faustian dilemma
* Goldman's dilemma
* gunfighter's dilemma
* Heinz dilemma
* innovator's dilemma
* on the horns of a dilemma
* table-maker's dilemma

#### Related terms

* lemma
* trilemma
* tetralemma
* pentalemma
* polylemma

#### Translations
### See also

* between a rock and a hard place
* between the devil and the deep blue sea
* between Scylla and Charybdis
* Buridan's ass
* no-win situation
* catch-22
* damned if one does and damned if one doesn't
* doomed if you do, doomed if you don't
* predicament

### References

* ↑ Michael Quinion (1996–2025) “Dilemma”, in World Wide Words.

### Further reading

* dilemma on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Silva Rhetoricae

### Anagrams

* midmeal

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˌdiˈlɛ.maː/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: di‧lem‧ma
* Rhymes: -ɛmaː

### Noun

dilemma n (plural dilemma's, diminutive dilemmaatje n)
* dilemma (between two alternatives)

#### Derived terms

* dilemmatisch

## Finnish
### Etymology

From Late Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈdilemːɑ/, [ˈdile̞mːɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ilemːɑ
* Hyphenation: di‧lem‧ma

### Noun

dilemma
* dilemma (between two alternatives)

#### Declension

Possessive forms of dilemma (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
dilemmani
dilemmani
accusative
nom.
dilemmani
dilemmani
gen.
dilemmani
genitive
dilemmani
dilemmoideni dilemmoitteni dilemmojeni dilemmaini $^{rare}$
partitive
dilemmaani
dilemmoitani dilemmojani
inessive
dilemmassani
dilemmoissani
elative
dilemmastani
dilemmoistani
illative
dilemmaani
dilemmoihini
adessive
dilemmallani
dilemmoillani
ablative
dilemmaltani
dilemmoiltani
allative
dilemmalleni
dilemmoilleni
essive
dilemmanani
dilemmoinani
translative
dilemmakseni
dilemmoikseni
abessive
dilemmattani
dilemmoittani
instructive
comitative
—dilemmoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
dilemmasi
dilemmasi
accusative
nom.
dilemmasi
dilemmasi
gen.
dilemmasi
genitive
dilemmasi
dilemmoidesi dilemmoittesi dilemmojesi dilemmaisi $^{rare}$
partitive
dilemmaasi
dilemmoitasi dilemmojasi
inessive
dilemmassasi
dilemmoissasi
elative
dilemmastasi
dilemmoistasi
illative
dilemmaasi
dilemmoihisi
adessive
dilemmallasi
dilemmoillasi
ablative
dilemmaltasi
dilemmoiltasi
allative
dilemmallesi
dilemmoillesi
essive
dilemmanasi
dilemmoinasi
translative
dilemmaksesi
dilemmoiksesi
abessive
dilemmattasi
dilemmoittasi
instructive
comitative
—dilemmoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
dilemmamme
dilemmamme
accusative
nom.
dilemmamme
dilemmamme
gen.
dilemmamme
genitive
dilemmamme
dilemmoidemme dilemmoittemme dilemmojemme dilemmaimme $^{rare}$
partitive
dilemmaamme
dilemmoitamme dilemmojamme
inessive
dilemmassamme
dilemmoissamme
elative
dilemmastamme
dilemmoistamme
illative
dilemmaamme
dilemmoihimme
adessive
dilemmallamme
dilemmoillamme
ablative
dilemmaltamme
dilemmoiltamme
allative
dilemmallemme
dilemmoillemme
essive
dilemmanamme
dilemmoinamme
translative
dilemmaksemme
dilemmoiksemme
abessive
dilemmattamme
dilemmoittamme
instructive
comitative
—dilemmoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
dilemmanne
dilemmanne
accusative
nom.
dilemmanne
dilemmanne
gen.
dilemmanne
genitive
dilemmanne
dilemmoidenne dilemmoittenne dilemmojenne dilemmainne $^{rare}$
partitive
dilemmaanne
dilemmoitanne dilemmojanne
inessive
dilemmassanne
dilemmoissanne
elative
dilemmastanne
dilemmoistanne
illative
dilemmaanne
dilemmoihinne
adessive
dilemmallanne
dilemmoillanne
ablative
dilemmaltanne
dilemmoiltanne
allative
dilemmallenne
dilemmoillenne
essive
dilemmananne
dilemmoinanne
translative
dilemmaksenne
dilemmoiksenne
abessive
dilemmattanne
dilemmoittanne
instructive
comitative
—dilemmoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
dilemmansa
dilemmansa
accusative
nom.
dilemmansa
dilemmansa
gen.
dilemmansa
genitive
dilemmansa
dilemmoidensa dilemmoittensa dilemmojensa dilemmainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
dilemmaansa
dilemmoitaan dilemmojaan dilemmoitansa dilemmojansa
inessive
dilemmassaan dilemmassansa
dilemmoissaan dilemmoissansa
elative
dilemmastaan dilemmastansa
dilemmoistaan dilemmoistansa
illative
dilemmaansa
dilemmoihinsa
adessive
dilemmallaan dilemmallansa
dilemmoillaan dilemmoillansa
ablative
dilemmaltaan dilemmaltansa
dilemmoiltaan dilemmoiltansa
allative
dilemmalleen dilemmallensa
dilemmoilleen dilemmoillensa
essive
dilemmanaan dilemmanansa
dilemmoinaan dilemmoinansa
translative
dilemmakseen dilemmaksensa
dilemmoikseen dilemmoiksensa
abessive
dilemmattaan dilemmattansa
dilemmoittaan dilemmoittansa
instructive
comitative
—dilemmoineen dilemmoinensa :

### Further reading

* “dilemma”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## Italian
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /diˈlɛm.ma/
* Rhymes: -ɛmma
* Hyphenation: di‧lèm‧ma

### Noun

dilemma m (plural dilemmi)
* dilemma (between two alternatives)

#### Related terms

* dilemmatico

### Anagrams

* dammeli, dimmela

## Latin
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

### Noun

dilēmma n (genitive dilēmmatis); third declension
* conclusion from two premises
* dilemma

#### Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

#### Related terms

* dilēmmātus

#### Descendants

* Catalan: dilema
* French: dilemme
* Italian: dilemma
* Portuguese: dilema
* Romanian: dilemă
* Spanish: dilema

### References

* “dĭlēmma”, in Gaffiot, 2016.

## Swedish
### Noun

dilemma n
* a dilemma (difficult choice between unfavorable options)

#### See also

* vara i valet och kvalet

### References

* dilemma in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* dilemma in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* dilemma in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

## Turkish
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek δίλημμα (dílēmma).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [di.lɛmːɑ]

### Noun

dilemma (definite accusative dilemmayı, plural dilemmalar)
* dilemma
    Synonym: ikilem

#### Declension

singular
plural
nominative
dilemma
dilemmalar
definite accusative
dilemmayı
dilemmaları
dative
dilemmaya
dilemmalara
locative
dilemmada
dilemmalarda
ablative
dilemmadan
dilemmalardan
genitive
dilemmanın
dilemmaların
Possessive forms
nominative
singular
plural
1st singular
dilemmam
dilemmalarım
2nd singular
dilemman
dilemmaların
3rd singular
dilemması
dilemmaları
1st plural
dilemmamız
dilemmalarımız
2nd plural
dilemmanız
dilemmalarınız
3rd plural
dilemmaları
dilemmaları
definite accusative
singular
plural
1st singular
dilemmamı
dilemmalarımı
2nd singular
dilemmanı
dilemmalarını
3rd singular
dilemmasını
dilemmalarını
1st plural
dilemmamızı
dilemmalarımızı
2nd plural
dilemmanızı
dilemmalarınızı
3rd plural
dilemmalarını
dilemmalarını
dative
singular
plural
1st singular
dilemmama
dilemmalarıma
2nd singular
dilemmana
dilemmalarına
3rd singular
dilemmasına
dilemmalarına
1st plural
dilemmamıza
dilemmalarımıza
2nd plural
dilemmanıza
dilemmalarınıza
3rd plural
dilemmalarına
dilemmalarına
locative
singular
plural
1st singular
dilemmamda
dilemmalarımda
2nd singular
dilemmanda
dilemmalarında
3rd singular
dilemmasında
dilemmalarında
1st plural
dilemmamızda
dilemmalarımızda
2nd plural
dilemmanızda
dilemmalarınızda
3rd plural
dilemmalarında
dilemmalarında
ablative
singular
plural
1st singular
dilemmamdan
dilemmalarımdan
2nd singular
dilemmandan
dilemmalarından
3rd singular
dilemmasından
dilemmalarından
1st plural
dilemmamızdan
dilemmalarımızdan
2nd plural
dilemmanızdan
dilemmalarınızdan
3rd plural
dilemmalarından
dilemmalarından
genitive
singular
plural
1st singular
dilemmamın
dilemmalarımın
2nd singular
dilemmanın
dilemmalarının
3rd singular
dilemmasının
dilemmalarının
1st plural
dilemmamızın
dilemmalarımızın
2nd plural
dilemmanızın
dilemmalarınızın
3rd plural
dilemmalarının
dilemmalarının :