prisoner's dilemma

American  

noun

1. (in game theory) a scenario in which the outcome of one person's decision is determined by the simultaneous decisions of the other participants, resulting in a bad outcome for all of them if all act in their own self-interest.

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Etymology

Origin of prisoner's dilemma

From a dilemma in which partners in crime must decide whether to confess, without knowing each other's decision

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prisoner's dilemma

SpaceX could use strategies such as the prisoner’s dilemma, approaching one wireless company to force others to the table.

From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026

“There’s a prisoner’s dilemma going on,” Conger said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

In psychology, what has happened with car size is known as the prisoner’s dilemma.

From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025

In some cases, it’s a classic prisoner’s dilemma: If firms collectively shift to cleaner energy, a cooler climate benefits everyone more in the future.

From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2024

Thus, the choice of whether to praise or to pan is something of a prisoner’s dilemma.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos