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Glite Dictionary
trilemma

trilemma

1 9.6
Being forced to choose between three difficult options you cannot have together
  • noun
  • /traɪˈlɛm.ə/
translation icon : trilema
  • The company's trilemma between cutting costs, maintaining quality, and ensuring employee satisfaction left the management in a difficult position.
  • horns of the trilemma

Yeah, I know they can have different prefixes in this trilemma.

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Examples

  • When faced with the choice of working late, going to the party, or finishing my book, I realized I had a trilemma.

  • This is the third horn of the trilemma.

    Academic text (2018)

  • GOP Trilemma: Compromise, Stand Firm.

    Blog text (18)

  • I am stalling because I forgot what the last part of the trilemma was.

  • Aldonza is stuck on the horns of Lewis's Trilemma: Lunatic, Liar, or Lord.

    Blog text (23)

  • The "trilemma" of Afghanistan, Chechnya, and terrorism thus became the main irritant in Pakistani-Russian relations.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Willer (1987) has argued that an integrated approach to early childhood programs is needed to deal with what she characterizes as the "trilemma" of quality, compensation, and affordability.

    Academic text (1990)

  • She found herself in a trilemma of choosing between a lucrative job offer, pursuing her passion, or taking care of her family.

Synonyms

dilemma
vstrilemma
258 4.2

A situation where you must choose between two or more bad options

requires choosing among three competing options where not all can be had

How Difficult

trilemma
1 9.6
dilemma
258 4.2
problem
∞ 1.2
choice
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

trilemma singular
trilemmas plural

Morphology

trilemma = dilemma (transparent) = tri + lemma

Formed by analogy to 'dilemma' with the prefix 'tri-' indicating three options; the meaning straightforwardly extends 'dilemma' from two to three choices.

Etymology

Trilemma is formed like dilemma: tri- means 'three' and lemma means 'a problem or choice'. So a trilemma is like a triangle of three hard options — a situation where you must pick between three things and you cannot have all three.