as in dilemma
a situation in which one has to choose between two or more equally unsatisfactory choices
the double bind faced by every politician: responding to scurrilous charges only gives them unwarranted publicity; not responding to such charges is often interpreted as an admission of guilt
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Recent Examples of double bind
In sport, this creates a double bind situation where women athletes are expected to excel athletically while also adhering to traditional gender roles, oftentimes finding themselves navigating a precarious balance between assertiveness and femininity.
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Lindsey Darvin, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Even Meredith receives compassion, with her struggles to project authority portrayed as evidence of the double bind of being a woman in the workplace.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024
Another possibility is that, as a woman, Clinton suffered from a conventional double bind, appearing too masculine for traditional voters and too feminine for those wanting a tough, masculine president.
—Monika L. McDermott, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2016
When a person’s in a double bind, they’re confronted with two irreconcilable demands and feel set-up to fail.
—Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for double bind 
Lindsey Darvin, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Even Meredith receives compassion, with her struggles to project authority portrayed as evidence of the double bind of being a woman in the workplace.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024
Another possibility is that, as a woman, Clinton suffered from a conventional double bind, appearing too masculine for traditional voters and too feminine for those wanting a tough, masculine president.
—Monika L. McDermott, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2016
When a person’s in a double bind, they’re confronted with two irreconcilable demands and feel set-up to fail.
—Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for double bind
Thesaurus Entries Near double bind
Cite this Entry
“Double bind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20bind. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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