trilemma

Meaning

Noun

• A circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options that seem equally undesirable.
• A situation in which a choice must be made among three desirable options, only two of which are possible at the same time.
• An argument containing three alternatives, jointly exhaustive either under any condition(s) or under all condition(s) consistent with the universe of discourse of that argument, that each imply the same conclusion.

Origin

• The word is modelled on dilemma, with di- replaced by tri-.