dilemma
part of speech
noun (a dilemma, dilemmas)
meaning for a pupil
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 →
2) (ethics) A moral dilemma is a choice where two good rules pull against each other, like being honest and being kind. tree →
sense 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 →
- Telling the truth would hurt Sam's feelings — it was a real dilemma. tree →
- The class argued about a moral dilemma for an hour. tree →
- The hero's dilemma was to save the town or save his dog. tree →
- Mum faced a dilemma: work late or see my concert. tree →
- Our team won the ethics olympiad by explaining the dilemma clearly. tree →
- This question placed Iwanich in a dilemma. tree →
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.
In the corpora
- An ethics olympiad is a competition where school teams discuss real dilemmas.
- A dilemma is a situation where every choice has something wrong or costly about it.
- A dilemma is a choice where two good things pull in different directions, such as being honest and being loyal to a friend.
- A dilemma is a hard choice between two things that both seem right, or two things that both seem wrong.
- A dilemma is a choice in which every option has a cost.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «dilemma» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.