as in dilemma
a situation in which one has to choose between two or more equally unsatisfactory choices
the double bind faced by every politician: responding to scurrilous charges only gives them unwarranted publicity; not responding to such charges is often interpreted as an admission of guilt
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Recent Examples of double bind
This double bind can be traumatic.
—
Hind Haddad, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Now they're caught in a double bind: 85% of the mineral fertilizer potash used by American farmers comes from Canada, while our northern neighbor also provides a quarter of farmers' nitrogen needs.
—Phil Lempert, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
During the Biden Presidency, the government faced a double bind with Venezuelans: Their country, run by a vicious dictator and beset by a humanitarian crisis, had for years refused to accept deportations from the U.S.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
That leaves the consumer in a double bind: still resilient, but increasingly forced to be discerning, particularly in a world where prices perniciously creep up.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for double bind
Hind Haddad, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2025
Now they're caught in a double bind: 85% of the mineral fertilizer potash used by American farmers comes from Canada, while our northern neighbor also provides a quarter of farmers' nitrogen needs.
—Phil Lempert, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
During the Biden Presidency, the government faced a double bind with Venezuelans: Their country, run by a vicious dictator and beset by a humanitarian crisis, had for years refused to accept deportations from the U.S.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
That leaves the consumer in a double bind: still resilient, but increasingly forced to be discerning, particularly in a world where prices perniciously creep up.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for double bind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double bind
Noun
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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,
10 Mar. 2026
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Lawmakers have noticed the dilemma in recent decades, resulting in a handful of states tweaking privacy laws.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then there was the pesky problem of Big Ten travel.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Maddix was born by emergency C-section with an enlarged heart that was causing a laundry list of other medical problems.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Double bind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20bind. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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