either-or
Pick one, only
Either-or describes a situation limited to two mutually exclusive options, with no middle ground or third possibility: It's an either-or choice—you can't have both.
The term often carries a note of frustration at forced binary thinking: Life isn't always either-or.
Either-or questions demand one answer or the other.
Consisting of two parts
- dualityTwofold nature
- polarityState of opposing forces
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
- oppositionActive resistance or dissent
bifurcation · split · dualism · twofold · contrast · partition · separation · complementarity
State of perplexity
- predicamentDifficult, unpleasant situation
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
- impasseSituation without resolution
catch-22 · bind · plight · deadlock · stalemate · paradox · crisis · perplexity
Separate at connections
- incompatibleUnable to exist together
- toggleTwo-position switch
- switchCircuit-breaking toggle device
- zero-sumBalanced gains and losses
all-or-nothing · true-or-false · take-it-or-leave-it · do-or-die · make-or-break · fight-or-flight
State of being apart
- booleanTrue-or-false valued
- conditionalDependent on prerequisites
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
- operatorOne who works machinery
exclusive-or · truth-value · XOR · predicate · alternation
Tined eating tool
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
- junctionPoint where things meet
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
- branchingSplitting into separate directions
selection · determination · judgment · pick · resolve · weigh · deliberate · commitment
binary
Consisting of two parts
- dualityTwofold nature
- polarityState of opposing forces
- antithesisDirect opposite; contrasting juxtaposition
opposition · bifurcation · split · dualism · twofold · contrast · partition · separation · complementarity · yin-yang
quandary
State of perplexity
- predicamentDifficult, unpleasant situation
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
impasse · catch-22 · bind · plight · deadlock · stalemate · paradox · crisis · perplexity · ultimatum
disjoint
Separate at connections
- incompatibleUnable to exist together
- toggleTwo-position switch
- switchCircuit-breaking toggle device
zero-sum · all-or-nothing · true-or-false · take-it-or-leave-it · do-or-die · make-or-break · fight-or-flight
disjunction
State of being apart
- booleanTrue-or-false valued
- conditionalDependent on prerequisites
- propositionStatement expressing a judgment
operator · exclusive-or · truth-value · XOR · predicate · alternation
fork
Tined eating tool
- crossroadsMeeting of routes
- junctionPoint where things meet
- divergenceSeparation from common origin
branching · selection · determination · judgment · pick · resolve · weigh · deliberate · commitment · decisive
- Either/Oryes or no, true or false, on or off, in or out, up or down
- hyphenated wordsup-to-date, pitch-black, jaw-dropping, round-the-clock, air-conditioned
- choiceschoice, choose, decide, decision, select
- tradeoffstradeoff, compromise, cost-benefit, risk-reward, give-and-take
- predicamentspredicament, dilemma, bind, pickle, pinch
- logicpremise, premises, conclusion, conclusions, inference
either-orand/or
Inclusive disjunction phrase
neither-nor · any and all · multiple choice · both · all-inclusive
either-ornuanced
Having fine distinctions
multifaceted · spectrum · continuum · graduated · shades of gray