Synonyms

either-or

American

[ee-ther-awr, ahy-ther-] / ˈi ðərˈɔr, ˈaɪ ðər- /

adjective

allowing no equivocation; being limited in choice to two options.

It's an either-or situation—you pay the bill or you lose the company's services.

either-or British

adjective

presenting an unavoidable need to choose between two alternatives

an either-or situation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of either-or

First recorded in 1925–30

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023