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# dilemma

noun (a dilemma, dilemmas)

«dilemma» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A dilemma is a hard choice between two (or more) options when each one has a bad side, so it is hard to know what is right. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#m1)
2. (ethics) A moral dilemma is a choice where two good rules pull against each other, like being honest and being kind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#m2)

### In the lessons

In ethics lessons and the ethics olympiad, pupils discuss dilemmas: should you tell the teacher a friend cheated? Should you keep a found wallet's money for a hungry family? They weigh consequences, rules and feelings. In stories a dilemma builds tension, because the reader wonders what the hero will choose. Phrases: face a dilemma, a moral dilemma, be in a dilemma, the horns of a dilemma.

### Examples

- I had a dilemma: go to my best friend's party or my cousin's. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x1)
- Telling the truth would hurt Sam's feelings — it was a real dilemma. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x2)
- The class argued about a moral dilemma for an hour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x3)
- The hero's dilemma was to save the town or save his dog. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x4)
- Mum faced a dilemma: work late or see my concert. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x5)
- Our team won the ethics olympiad by explaining the dilemma clearly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x6)
- This question placed Iwanich in a dilemma. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x7)

### Note

Countable; plural dilemmas. Spelling: two m's (dilemma), one l. Strictly, a dilemma is not just any problem: it is a choice where every option costs something.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «dilemma» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«dilemma» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/dilemma.html) on Mova free.