dilemna

Noun

dilemma (plural dilemmas or dilemmata)

1. A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.
   • A strong dilemma in a desperate case! / To act with infamy, or quit the place.1731, Jonathan Swift, An Epistle to Mr. Gay
2. Any difficult circumstance or problem.

   Synonyms:

   bind, fix, pickle, problem, quandary, ass in a sling, bucket of syrup, calvary, cauldron, cross

3. A type of syllogism of the form "if A is true then B is true; if C is true then D is true; either A or C is true; therefore either B or D is true".
4. (rhetoric) Offering to an opponent a choice between two (equally unfavorable) alternatives.