different between dilemma vs complication

English

Etymology

First attested 1523, from Late Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek ??????? (díl?mma, “ambiguous proposition”), from ??- (di-, “having two of”) + ????? (lêmma, “premise, proposition”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: d?-l?m?? or d?-l?m??, IPA^(key): /da??l?m?/, /d??l?m?/
• Rhymes: -?m?

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.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:dilemma

   • 1731, Jonathan Swift, "An Epistle to Mr. Gay"

     A strong dilemma in a desperate case! / To act with infamy, or quit the place.

2. A difficult circumstance or problem.

   Synonyms: bind, fix, pickle, problem, quandary

3. (logic) 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.

Usage notes

Occasionally misspelled as dilemna, perhaps originally via false analogy with words such as condemn, solemn, and hymn. This spelling has been reportedly taught in many regions of Great Britain and the United States as well as around the world, and can be found in the works of many well-known authors (e.g. Isaac Watts, Defoe & Goldsmith).

Derived terms

Related terms

• lemma
• trilemma
• tetralemma
• pentalemma

Translations

See also

• between a rock and a hard place
• between the devil and the deep blue sea
• between Scylla and Charybdis
• Buridan's ass
• no-win situation
• catch-22
• damned if one does and damned if one doesn't
• doomed if you do, doomed if you don't
• predicament

Further reading

• dilemma on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Silva Rhetoricae

References

Anagrams

• midmeal

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dilemma, from Ancient Greek ??????? (díl?mma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?di?l?.ma?/
• Hyphenation: di?lem?ma
• Rhymes: -?ma?

Noun

dilemma n (plural dilemma's, diminutive dilemmaatje n)

1. dilemma (between two alternatives)

Derived terms

• dilemmatisch

Finnish

(index d)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?dilem??/, [?dile?m??]
• Rhymes: -ilem??
• Syllabification: di?lem?ma

Noun

dilemma

1. dilemma (between two alternatives)

Declension

Italian

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ??????? (díl?mma).

Noun

dilemma m (plural dilemmi)

1. dilemma (between two alternatives)

Related terms

• dilemmatico

Anagrams

• dammeli, dimmela

Turkish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ??????? (díl?mma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [di.l?m??]

Noun

dilemma (definite accusative dilemmay?, plural dilemmalar)

1. dilemma

   Synonym: ikilem

Declension

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French complication, from Latin complicatio, complicationem.Morphologically complicate +? -ion

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -e???n

Noun

complication (countable and uncountable, plural complications)

1. The act or process of complicating.
2. The state of being complicated; intricate or confused relation of parts; complexity.
3. A person who doesn't fit in with the main scheme of things; an interloper.
4. (medicine) A disease or diseases, or adventitious circumstances or conditions, coexistent with and modifying a primary disease, but not necessarily connected with it.
5. (horology) A feature beyond basic time display in a timepiece.

Translations

Further reading

• complication (medicine) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• complication (horology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• complication in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “complication”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.

Anagrams

• accomplition

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin complicatio, complicationem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.pli.ka.sj??/
• Rhymes: -sj??
• Homophone: complications
• Hyphenation: com?pli?ca?tion

Noun

complication f (plural complications)

1. complication

Antonyms

• simplification

Further reading

• “complication” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Interlingua

Noun

complication (plural complicationes)

1. complication