trilemma
Americannoun
-
a situation, analogous to a dilemma, in which there are three almost equally undesirable alternatives.
His trilemma consisted in not knowing whether to acknowledge receipt, deny it, or simply leave.
-
Logic. a form of argument in which three choices are presented, each of which is indicated to have consequences that may be unfavorable.
noun
-
a quandary posed by three alternative courses of action
-
an argument one of the premises of which is the disjunction of three statements from each of which the same conclusion is derived
Etymology
Origin of trilemma
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The U.K. government demonstrated the problem with its annual budget, where it is stuck in a trilemma, unable to please lenders and voters while also doing the right thing for the economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
But the book’s main conclusion is that there is no winning the trilemma, and no resolution to a bankrupt transit agency, city, or state that is going to make everyone happy.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2023
Faced with this trilemma, most rich countries let the currency float freely.
From Economist ● Jun. 28, 2018
What my visit to the Grid reminded me is that it will do nothing to resolve the energy trilemma long term.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2013
And as regards his trilemma concerning Deity, that also fails in the failure of his thesis that eternal duration is inconceivable.
From Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors by Clarke, James Freeman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
