Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A situation that requires a choice among three options that are or seem equally unfavorable or mutually exclusive.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In logic, a syllogism with three conditional propositions, the major premises of which are disjunctively affirmed in the minor. See
dilemma . - noun Hence, in general, any choice between three objects.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Logic) A syllogism with three conditional propositions, the major premises of which are disjunctively affirmed in the minor. See
dilemma . - noun A state of things in which it is difficult to determine which one of three courses to pursue.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
circumstance in which achoice must be made betweenthree options that seem equallyundesirable . - noun logic A
syllogism containing threealternatives that each infer the sameconclusion .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word trilemma.
Examples
-
The trilemma is that we can have at most two out of three.
Reality and Health Care Spending, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
-
Perhaps the trilemma is really a single monster where limited access keeps costs high, making us demand (what appears to be) insulation, which helps keep costs high.
Reality and Health Care Spending, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
-
The biggest problem in expanding Medicare is essentially solving what economist Greg Mankiw calls the trilemma, the three problems of health care delivery - cost, access and quality.
-
"trilemma" - touted as his strongest argument - is in fact wrong.
Pharyngula 2008
-
A "trilemma" is like a dilemma, only there are three things to choose from and you can have just two.
Back to Basics on Financial Reform Niall Ferguson And Ted Forstmann 2010
-
Ok, so it's not really a "trilemma"; it is three related, but very different, decisions.
Archive 2006-05-01 Bea Amaya 2006
-
Ok, so it's not really a "trilemma"; it is three related, but very different, decisions.
My Trilemma Bea Amaya 2006
-
"trilemma" is simply wrong - he can't really be accused of blind adherence to family or community tradition; he was an atheist from his teens until becoming a Christian in young adulthood (which is what made him a much more effective apologist than most, because, unlike most religious people, he understood the mindset of the sceptic and the search for evidence).
Pharyngula 2008
-
"We live in a 'trilemma', and not dilemma, between achieving inclusive growth, depleting resources and deteriorating environmental situation.
The Hindu - Home 2010
-
These dictators have a trilemma: do they reform, do they quit or do they attempt to crush their people's aspirations for freedom?
Instead of fearing another Iraq, the west must do right by Libya | Andrew Rawnsley 2011
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.