Dilemma vs Ordeal - What's the difference?
dilemma | ordeal |
A circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable.
* Jonathan Swift
A difficult circumstance or problem.
(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".
(rhetoric) Offering to an opponent a choice between two (equally unfavorable) alternatives.
*
A painful or trying experience.
*
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=December 29
, author=Paul Doyle
, title=Arsenal's Theo Walcott hits hat-trick in thrilling victory over Newcastle
, work=The Guardian
A trial in which the accused was subjected to a dangerous test (such as ducking in water), divine authority deciding the guilt of the accused.
As nouns the difference between dilemma and ordeal
is that dilemma is a circumstance in which a choice must be made between two or more alternatives that seem equally undesirable while ordeal is a painful or trying experience.dilemma
English
Noun
(en-noun)- A strong dilemma in a desperate case! / To act with infamy, or quit the place.
Usage notes
* The sense of a difficult circumstance or problem is considered non-standard[by whom?]. * Occasionally spelled/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. Watts, Defroe & Goldsmith).World Wide Words: Dilemma
Synonyms
* (circumstance in which a choice must be made between two alternatives) * (any difficult circumstance) bind, fix, pickle, problem, quandary * (logic) * (rhetoric) * See alsoDerived terms
* on the horns of a dilemmaSee also
* * between a rock and a hard place * between the devil and the deep blue sea * between Scylla and Charybdis * Buridan's assReferences
Anagrams
* ----ordeal
English
Noun
(en noun)citation, page= , passage=Arsène Wenger confessed: "The result was not an accurate indication of the match." Certainly, at half-time it seemed unlikely that Arsenal would catch fire so spectacularly because the first half was a damp squib of a display from Wenger's team, as Newcastle initially showed no ill-effects from their Old Trafford ordeal .}}
