English-Thai Dictionary

dilemma

N สภาวะ ลำบาก  สถานการณ์ ลำบาก  ภาวะวิกฤติ  problem crisis mess sa-pa-wa-lum-bak

 

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DILEMMA

n.[Gr. , a syllogism which strikes on each side; an assumption; to take. ] 1. In logic, an argument equally conclusive by contrary suppositions. A young rhetorician said to an old sophist; Instruct me in pleading, and I will pay you, when I gain a cause. The master sued for the reward, and the scholar endeavored to elude the claim by a dilemma. If I gain my cause, I shall withhold your pay, because the award of the judge will be against you. It I lose it, I may withhold it, because I shall not yet have gained a cause. The master replied: If you gain your cause, you must pay me, because you are to pay me, when you gain a cause; if you lose it, you must pay me, because you are to pay me, when you gain a cause; if you lose it, you must pay me, because the judge will award it.
2. A difficult or doubtful choice; a state of things in which evils or obstacles present themselves on every side, and it is difficult to determine what course to pursue.
A strong dilemma in a desperate case!
To act with infamy, or quit the place.

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

DILEMMA

Di *lem "ma, n. Etym: [L. dilemma, Gr. Lemma. ]

 

1. (Logic )

 

Defn: An argument which presents an antagonist with two or more alternatives, but is equally conclusive against him, whichever alternative he chooses.

 

Note: The following are instances of the dilemma. A young rhetorician applied to an old sophist to be taught the art of pleading, and bargained for a certain reward to be paid when he should gain a cause. The master sued for his reward, and the scholar endeavored to dilemma. "If I gain my cause, I shall withhold your pay, because the judge's award will be against you; if I lose it, I may withhold it, because I shall not yet have gained a cause. " "On the contrary, " says the master, "if you gain your cause, you must pay me, because you are to pay me when you gain a cause; if you lose it, you must pay me, because the judge will award it. " Johnson.

 

2. A state of things in which evils or obstacles present themselves on every side, and it is difficult to determine what course to pursue; a vexatious alternative or predicament; a difficult choice or position. A strong dilemma in a desperate case! To act with infamy, or quit the place. Swift. Horns of a dilemma, alternatives, each of which is equally difficult of encountering.

 

New American Oxford Dictionary

dilemma

di lem ma |diˈlemə dəˈlɛmə daɪˈlɛmə | ▶noun a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, esp. equally undesirable ones: the people often face the dilemma of feeding themselves or their cattle. • a difficult situation or problem: the insoluble dilemma of adolescence. • Logic an argument forcing an opponent to choose either of two unfavorable alternatives. ORIGIN early 16th cent. (denoting a form of argument involving a choice between equally unfavorable alternatives ): via Latin from Greek dilēmma, from di- ‘twice ’ + lēmma ‘premise. ’ usage: At its core, a dilemma is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives ( this is my dilemma: do I stay here for the job security, or do I risk it all for the chance of a better career? ). More informally, dilemma can mean ‘a difficult situation or problem ’ (as in the insoluble dilemma of adolescence ). Some traditionalists object to this weakened use, but it is recorded as early as the first part of the 17th century, and is now widespread and generally acceptable.

 

Oxford Dictionary

dilemma

dilemma |dɪˈlɛmə, dʌɪ -| ▶noun a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially ones that are equally undesirable: he wants to make money, but he also disapproves of it: Den's dilemma in a nutshell. • a difficult situation or problem: the insoluble dilemma of adolescence. • Logic an argument forcing an opponent to choose either of two unfavourable alternatives. ORIGIN early 16th cent. (denoting a form of argument involving a choice between equally unfavourable alternatives ): via Latin from Greek dilēmma, from di- ‘twice ’ + lēmma ‘premise ’. usage: At its core, a dilemma is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives. More informally, it can mean ‘a difficult situation or problem ’ (as in the insoluble dilemma of adolescence ). Some traditionalists object to this weakened use, but it is recorded as early as the first part of the 17th century, and is now widespread and generally acceptable.

 

American Oxford Thesaurus

dilemma

dilemma noun a discussion with a colleague resolved her dilemma: quandary, predicament, Catch-22, vicious circle, plight, mess, muddle; difficulty, problem, trouble, perplexity, confusion, conflict; informal no-win situation, fix, tight spot, tight corner, can of worms. USAGE dilemma Dilemma should be reserved for reference to a predicament in which a difficult choice must be made between undesirable alternatives: You see his dilemma? If he moves to London, he may never see his parents again. But if he stays in Seattle, he may be giving up the best job offer of his life. The weakened use of dilemma to mean simply "a difficult situation or problem " (the dilemma of a teacher shortage ) is recorded as early as the first part of the seventeenth century, but many regard this use as unacceptable and it should be avoided in written English. Usage notes show additional guidance on finer points of English usage.

 

Oxford Thesaurus

dilemma

dilemma noun a discussion with a colleague resolved her dilemma: quandary, predicament, difficulty, problem, puzzle, conundrum, awkward situation, tricky situation, difficult situation, difficult choice, catch-22, vicious circle, plight, mess, muddle; trouble, perplexity, confusion, conflict, uncertainty, indecision; informal no-win situation, sticky situation, pickle, fix, spot, tight spot, tight corner, poser, facer; Brit. informal sticky wicket. PHRASES on the horns of a dilemma between the devil and the deep blue sea, between Scylla and Charybdis; informal in a no-win situation, between a rock and a hard place.

 

Duden Dictionary

Dilemma

Di lem ma Substantiv, Neutrum , das |Dil e mma |das Dilemma; Genitiv: des Dilemmas, Plural: die Dilemmas und Dilemmata lateinisch dilemma < griechisch dílēmma, zu dís (di- ) = zweimal und lẽmma, eigentlich = alles, was man nimmt, zu: lambánein = nehmen Situation, in der man gezwungen ist, sich zwischen zwei gleichermaßen [unangenehmen ] Dingen zu entscheiden einen Ausweg aus dem Dilemma suchen | in ein Dilemma geraten

 

dilemmatisch

di lem ma tisch Adjektiv |dilemm a tisch |zwei alternativ verbundene [sich gegenseitig ausschließende ] Lösungen enthaltend

 

Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary

dilemma

di lem ma /dɪlémə, daɪ -/〖di (2つの )lemma (前提 )〗名詞 複 ～s /-z /C 1 (意志決定に伴う ) «…に関しての » ジレンマ , 板ばさみ «about » (!主に同じように好ましくない2つ以上から選択せざるを得ない場合について用いる ) ; 深刻な問題 ▸ I was in a dilemma about whether to buy the book or not .私はその本を買うべきかどうかでジレンマに陥った ▸ face [confront ] a dilemma 板ばさみに遭う ▸ a moral dilemma 道徳的な難問 2 〘論 〙両刀論法 .be on the h ò rns of a dil é mma ジレンマ [板ばさみ, 窮地 ]に陥っている .