lesser of two evils

Idioms  

1. The somewhat less unpleasant of two poor choices. For example, I'd rather stay home and miss the picnic altogether than run into those nasty people—it's the lesser of two evils. This expression was already a proverb in ancient Greek and appeared in English by the late 1300s. Chaucer used it in Troilus and Cressida.

---

Example Sentences

"It comes down to choosing the lesser of two evils."

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

She said she had felt that was "the lesser of two evils" and that she had been scared because she did not know what he could do.

From BBC • Aug. 18, 2022

A contest that somehow boiled down to the lesser of two evils, or streaming services, in which voters ultimately opted for the Apple+ release rather than allowing Netflix’s “Dog” to have its day.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2022

Arguing that an overcrowded apartment is better than homelessness is like trying to decide the lesser of two evils, Ms. Solari said.

From New York Times • Jan. 8, 2022

I'm able to haul him back onto the horn where we drag ourselves toward the top where the lesser of two evils awaits.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins