1
as in problems
a situation in which one has to choose between two or more equally unsatisfactory choices
faced with a dilemma of whether to risk continuing to drive in the dangerous storm or to give up searching for the lost dog and hope he survived
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in predicaments
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
with home prices in a free fall, sellers were in a terrible dilemma
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dilemmas
Every interaction and plot twist in Jury Duty is carefully orchestrated to steer its unwitting star through a series of low-stakes moral dilemmas while hidden cameras capture his reactions.
—
Angelina Mazza, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
Such local sites focus on a small group of people who happened to live in a certain place at a certain time—and who, for that fleeting moment, came to stand in for the dilemmas of the nation at large.
—Beverly Gage, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
The report eases one of the Fed’s trickiest dilemmas from the past year, when weak job growth put pressure on officials to cut rates even as inflation refused to come down.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
To help resolve these dilemmas, European industry leaders are calling for government support, including subsidies and tax breaks, to level the playing field with Chinese competitors whose products come at unbeatable prices.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.
—Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Set in a small Nenets community in the Arctic peninsula of Yamal, Nerkagi’s White Moss invites the reader into the impossible dilemmas of navigating an Indigenous life in the modern world.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
During a week-long recuperation, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Ownership’s choice to have Brzezinski oversee these weighty dilemmas in the aftermath of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing was not random.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Angelina Mazza, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
Such local sites focus on a small group of people who happened to live in a certain place at a certain time—and who, for that fleeting moment, came to stand in for the dilemmas of the nation at large.
—Beverly Gage, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
The report eases one of the Fed’s trickiest dilemmas from the past year, when weak job growth put pressure on officials to cut rates even as inflation refused to come down.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
To help resolve these dilemmas, European industry leaders are calling for government support, including subsidies and tax breaks, to level the playing field with Chinese competitors whose products come at unbeatable prices.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.
—Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Set in a small Nenets community in the Arctic peninsula of Yamal, Nerkagi’s White Moss invites the reader into the impossible dilemmas of navigating an Indigenous life in the modern world.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
During a week-long recuperation, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash.
—Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Ownership’s choice to have Brzezinski oversee these weighty dilemmas in the aftermath of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s firing was not random.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilemmas
Noun
-
But his career ended prematurely when persistent groin problems eventually resulted in the diagnosis of a degenerative right side.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
One begins to think that the condition is hereditary—that, instead of a Habsburg jaw, the wealthy white denizens of New Orleans high society are saddled with emotional problems.—
Brandy Jensen,
New Yorker,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Journeys that used to take entire seasons were being covered in single episodes, characters survived predicaments that once meant surefire death, and previously relevant factors like supplies, infrastructure, and alliances no longer mattered.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Victorian novels made good use of the predicaments of second and third sons, who had to become ministers or soldiers or schemers, and daughters who needed to be married off according to age.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The life of a globe-trotting environmentalist is a breeding ground for moral quandaries.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Three little people’s romantic quandaries are indeed inextricable from the crazy world.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Over the decades, children have given up everything from sunflower seeds to pickles.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
-
With about 100 vendors, there is a little bit of everything here, from jewelry to pickles and hot sauce to collectible items like coins and comic books.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dilemmas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilemmas. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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