Synonyms of between a rock and a hard place
10 similar words
Another word for between a rock and a hard place is between Scylla and Charybdis. Other synonyms of between a rock and a hard place are between the devil and the deep blue sea, between the hammer and the anvil, between two fires, damned if one does and damned if one doesn't and doomed if you do.
Synonyms and similar words for between a rock and a hard place
prepositional phraseHaving the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.
- between Scylla and CharybdisBetween two dangers or undesired situations.
- between the devil and the deep blue seaBetween undesirable alternatives.
- between the hammer and the anvil UKWith the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.
- between two fires
- damned if one does and damned if one doesn'tOf a situation where either choice results in a negative outcome.
- doomed if you do
- doomed if you don't
- on the horns of a dilemmaFacing a choice between two equally undesirable alternatives.
- in a cleft stick Australia, UKIn a difficult situation, unable to choose between unfavourable options; in a dilemma.
- in bad bread UK, obsoleteIn a dilemma; in a state of difficulty.
Meaning of between a rock and a hard place
- prepositional phrase In a difficult and inescapable position.
- prepositional phrase Having the choice between two unpleasant or distasteful options; in a predicament or quandary.
between a rock and a hard place in other languages
Questions about synonyms of between a rock and a hard place
- What is another word for between a rock and a hard place?
- Between a rock and a hard place has 10 synonyms on Word.ws, such as between Scylla and Charybdis, between the devil and the deep blue sea, between the hammer and the anvil, between two fires, damned if one does and damned if one doesn't, doomed if you do, doomed if you don't and on the horns of a dilemma.
- What does between a rock and a hard place mean?
- Between a rock and a hard place means in a difficult and inescapable position.
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: between a rock and a hard place (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this page: “Synonyms of between a rock and a hard place.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/between_a_rock_and_a_hard_place. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.