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Explore Trilemma through 5 example sentences from English, with an explanation of the meaning. Ideal for language learners, writers and word enthusiasts.

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Trilemma in a sentence

Trilemma meaning

  1. A circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options that seem equally undesirable.
  2. A situation in which a choice must be made among three desirable options, only two of which are possible at the same time.
  3. 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.

Using Trilemma

  • The main meaning on this page is: 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.
  • In the example corpus, trilemma often appears in combinations such as: this trilemma.

Context around Trilemma

  • Average sentence length in these examples: 36.4 words
  • Position in the sentence: 2 start, 2 middle, 1 end
  • Sentence types: 4 statements, 1 questions, 0 exclamations

Often before:

epicurian 1× false 1×

Often after:

appears 1× false 1×

Sentence patterns with Trilemma

These short patterns come directly from the example sentences and show how the word is often embedded:

a false trilemma false trichotomy 1× abate this trilemma and thereby 1× attributes this trilemma to epicurus 1× of the trilemma appears in 1× the epicurian trilemma is god 1×

Sentence openings and endings

Common sentence openings:

epicurus epicurus is 1× lactantius attributes this 1× perhaps the earliest 1× phrasing that implies 1× several new magnetic 1×

Common sentence endings:

but not able 1× only three options 1× state drives ssds 1× willing and able 1×

Words around Trilemma

Just before it in the word index:

trilby 2 trilateral 97 trilaciclib 2 trikuta 7 trikha 2 trikes 9

Just after it in the word index:

trilinear 2 trilingual 13 triliteral 5 trilithium 2 trilithon 2 trilithons 4

Similar in corpus frequency:

aaas 7 aacc 7 aacs 7 aafes 7 aah 7 aankh 7

Corpus analysis for Trilemma

  • In this selection, "trilemma" usually appears near the start of the sentence. The average example has 36.4 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
  • Around the word, epicurian, false, appears and false stand out and add context to how "trilemma" is used.
  • Recognizable usage signals include a false trilemma false trichotomy and abate this trilemma and thereby. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
  • By corpus frequency, "trilemma" sits close to words such as aaas, aacc and aacs, which helps place it inside the broader word index.

Example types with trilemma

The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:

Short example sentences

Perhaps the earliest expression of the trilemma appears in the writings of the sceptic Sextus Empiricus (160–210 AD), who wrote in his Outlines of Pyrrhonism: Further, this too should be said. (32 words)

Phrasing that implies two options (dilemma, dichotomy, black-and-white ) may be replaced with other number-based nouns, such as a "false trilemma " ("false trichotomy," etc.) if something is reduced to only three options. (34 words)

Several new magnetic storage technologies are being developed to overcome or at least abate this trilemma and thereby maintain the competitiveness of HDDs with respect to products such as flash memory -based solid-state drives (SSDs). (36 words)

Longer example sentences

Lactantius attributes this trilemma to Epicurus in De Ira Dei: God, he says, either wishes to take away evils, and is unable; or He is able, and is unwilling; or He is neither willing nor able, or He is both willing and able. (43 words)

Epicurus Epicurus is generally credited with first expounding the problem of evil, and it is sometimes called the "Epicurean paradox", the "riddle of Epicurus", or the "Epicurian trilemma ": Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? (37 words)

Several new magnetic storage technologies are being developed to overcome or at least abate this trilemma and thereby maintain the competitiveness of HDDs with respect to products such as flash memory -based solid-state drives (SSDs). (36 words)

Question examples

Epicurus Epicurus is generally credited with first expounding the problem of evil, and it is sometimes called the "Epicurean paradox", the "riddle of Epicurus", or the "Epicurian trilemma ": Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? (37 words)

Example sentences (5)

Epicurus Epicurus is generally credited with first expounding the problem of evil, and it is sometimes called the "Epicurean paradox", the "riddle of Epicurus", or the "Epicurian trilemma ": Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

Lactantius attributes this trilemma to Epicurus in De Ira Dei: God, he says, either wishes to take away evils, and is unable; or He is able, and is unwilling; or He is neither willing nor able, or He is both willing and able.

Perhaps the earliest expression of the trilemma appears in the writings of the sceptic Sextus Empiricus (160–210 AD), who wrote in his Outlines of Pyrrhonism: Further, this too should be said.

Phrasing that implies two options (dilemma, dichotomy, black-and-white ) may be replaced with other number-based nouns, such as a "false trilemma " ("false trichotomy," etc.) if something is reduced to only three options.

Several new magnetic storage technologies are being developed to overcome or at least abate this trilemma and thereby maintain the competitiveness of HDDs with respect to products such as flash memory -based solid-state drives (SSDs).

Common combinations with trilemma

These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:

Frequently asked questions

How do you use "trilemma" in a sentence?
An example: "Epicurus Epicurus is generally credited with first expounding the problem of evil, and it is sometimes called the "Epicurean paradox", the "riddle of Epicurus", or the "Epicurian trilemma ": Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?" This page contains 5 example sentences with the word "trilemma" from authentic English texts.
What does "trilemma" mean?
Trilemma means: A circumstance in which a choice must be made between three options that seem equally undesirable.
How many example sentences with "trilemma" are there?
Voorbeeldzinnen.info contains 5 example sentences with "trilemma", drawn from a database of millions of English sentences.