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Emergency vs Quandary - What's the difference?

emergency | quandary | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between emergency and quandary

is that emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk and which requires urgent attention while quandary is a state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a pickle; a predicament.

emergency

English

Noun

(emergencies)
  • A situation which poses an immediate risk and which requires urgent attention.
  • :Cardiac arrest is an emergency and if you find someone in cardiac arrest you should call 999 immediately.
  • (US, Canada, often attributive) The department of a hospital that treats emergencies.
  • An individual brought in at short notice to replace a member of staff, a player in a sporting team, etc.
  • * November 2 2014 , Daniel Taylor, " Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk
    • Van Gaal responded by replacing Adnan Januzaj with Carrick and, in fairness, the emergency centre-half did exceedingly well given that he has not played since May.
  • (archaic) The quality of being emergent; sudden or unexpected appearance; an unforeseen occurrence.

    • Synonyms

    * (hospital department) ER, casualty, emerg

    Derived terms

    * emergency department * emergency entrance * emergency exit * emergency room * emergency ward * emergency medical services * state of emergency * emergency response * Emergency Medical Technician * The Emergency

    See also

    * fire department * police

    quandary

    English

    Noun

    (quandaries)
  • A state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a pickle; a predicament.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-06, volume=408, issue=8843, page=68, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= The rise of smart beta , passage=Investors face a quandary . Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.}}
  • A dilemma, a difficult decision or choice.
  • * 1995 , Robert Frost, Collected Poems, Prose & Plays , page 475
    • To quote the oracle of Delphi, / Love thou thy neighbor as thyself, aye, / And hate him as thyself thou hatest. / There quandary is at its greatest.
  • * 1995 , Douglas N. Walton & Erik C. W. Krabbe, Commitment in Dialogue: Basic Concepts of Interpersonal Reasoning? , page 54
    • But we may suppose that John has set his priorities in such a way that the quandary is spurious.
  • * 2000 , Carol Ann Strip & Gretchen Hirsch, Helping Gifted Children Soar ?, page 208
    • What a difficult quandary for a bright, talented child!
  • * 2004 , Jennifer Traig, Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood? , page 181
    • Then I would begin contemplating the next quandary : "Does the Torah say it's okay to portray a hooker, and is a heart of gold a mitigating factor?"

    Synonyms

    * perplexity * uncertainty

    References

    *

    See also

    * doubt * indecision * dilemma