either-or

[ ee-th er-awr, ahy-th er- ]
/ ˈi ðərˈɔr, ˈaɪ ðər- /

adjective

allowing no equivocation; being limited in choice to two options: It's an either-or situation—you pay the bill or you lose the company's services.

Origin of either-or

First recorded in 1925–30

Words nearby either-or

eisenstein, eish, eisk, eisteddfod, either, either-or, eivissa, ej, ejaculate, ejaculatio praecox, ejaculatio precox

Words related to either-or

one

Example sentences from the Web for either-or

  • The dream never utters the alternative "either-or," but accepts both as having equal rights in the same connection.

    Dream Psychology |Sigmund Freud

  • An "either-or" more terrible no doubt than the one he had formulated before her just a year ago.

    The Elusive Pimpernel |Baroness Emmuska Orczy

  • When "either-or" is used in the reproduction of dreams, it is, as I have already mentioned, to be replaced by "and."

    Dream Psychology |Sigmund Freud

British Dictionary definitions for either-or

either-or

adjective

presenting an unavoidable need to choose between two alternatives an either-or situation