Thesaurus:in a dilemma

Thesaurus

in a dilemma

English

Prepositional phrase

Sense: between undesirable alternatives

Synonyms

• between a rock and a hard place (idiomatic)
• between Scylla and Charybdis (idiomatic)
• between the devil and the deep blue sea (idiomatic)
• between the hammer and the anvil (chiefly UK, idiomatic)
• between two fires (idiomatic)
• damned if one does and damned if one doesn't (idiomatic)
• doomed if you do, doomed if you don't (idiomatic)
• in a cleft stick (Australia, UK, dated, idiomatic)
• in bad bread (UK, obsolete)
• on the horns of a dilemma (idiomatic)

Antonyms

• spoilt for choice

Hypernyms

• in trouble    [⇒ thesaurus]

Various

• between two stools
• out of the frying pan, into the fire (idiomatic)

See also

• Thesaurus:difficult situation
• Thesaurus:dilemma

Further reading

• “665. danger” in Roget's Thesaurus, T. Y. Crowell Co., 1911.
• “in a dilemma” in Moby Thesaurus II, Grady Ward, 1996.