World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesMoral dilemma
/ˈmɔː.rəl dɪˈlem.ə/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two courses of action, either of which entails transgressing a moral principle.
"The whistleblowing employee faced a moral dilemma: report the company's illegal dumping and risk losing his job, or stay silent." - 2
A complex problem or impasse that defies a satisfactory ethical resolution.
"Artificial intelligence creates a deep moral dilemma regarding accountability for autonomous vehicle decisions."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
The term combines 'moral', derived from Latin 'moralis' (relating to character or custom), and 'dilemma', from Greek 'dilemma' (di- 'twice' + lemma 'premise'). First appearing in English in the late 16th century, it historically described a situation presenting a difficult choice between equally undesirable alternatives, evolving to specifically denote conflicts involving ethical principles.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Moral dilemma"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Moral dilemma" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
dilemme moral
Transliteration: dilɛm mɔʁal
"Il a fait face à un dilemme moral complexe."
moralisches Dilemma
Transliteration: moˈʁaːlɪʃəs diˈlɛma
"Sie stand vor einem schwierigen moralischen Dilemma."
dilemma morale
Transliteration: diˈlɛmma ˈmorale
"La decisione ha aperto un serio dilemma morale."
dilema moral
Transliteration: diˈlema moˈɾal
"El médico se enfrentó a un grave dilema moral."
dilema moral
Transliteration: diˈlẽmɐ moˈɾaw
"A questão levantou um dilema moral para os pesquisadores."
नैतिक दुविधा
Transliteration: naitik duvidha
"उसने एक कठिन नैतिक दुविधा का सामना किया।"
道德困境
Transliteration: dàodé kùnjìng
"他陷入了一个艰难的道德困境。"
도덕적 딜레마
Transliteration: dodeokjeok dillema
"그는 심각한 도덕적 딜레마에 빠졌다."
道徳的ジレンマ
Transliteration: dōtokuteki jirenma
"彼は大きな道徳的ジレンマに直面した。"
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