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# dilemma

«dilemma» in Mova's school dictionary: **a hard choice between two (or more) options when each one…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### 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 →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#m2)

### 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 →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x2)
- The class argued about a moral dilemma for an hour. [tree →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x4)
- Mum faced a dilemma: work late or see my concert. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x5)
- Our team won the ethics olympiad by explaining the dilemma clearly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/#x6)
- This question placed Iwanich in a dilemma. [tree →](https://md.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.

### In the corpora

- [An ethics olympiad is a competition where school teams discuss real dilemmas.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/36-what-is-an-ethics-olympiad/7/)
- [A dilemma is a situation where every choice has something wrong or costly about it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/36-what-is-an-ethics-olympiad/11/)
- [A dilemma is a choice where two good things pull in different directions, such as being honest and being loyal to a friend.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship/0/)
- [A dilemma is a hard choice between two things that both seem right, or two things that both seem wrong.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/41-dilemmas-about-truth-and-friendship/6/)
- [A dilemma is a choice in which every option has a cost.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/48-lifeboat-choices/5/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «dilemma» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/dilemma/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.