either-or

[ ee-ther-awr, ahy-ther- ]

adjective

1. 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.

either-or

adjective

1. presenting an unavoidable need to choose between two alternatives

   an either-or situation

Word History and Origins

Origin of either-or¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

“It shouldn't be an either-or. We should be able to use both.”

From BBC

As always, news outlets oversimplify issues into a polarized either-or option when the truth is much more nuanced.

From Slate

We often think of ourselves in an “either-or fashion,” Dr. Keltner said.

From New York Times

This looms as the one either-or competition on the line between former UW standout Harris, signed to a one-year deal as a free agent, and 2023 fifth-round pick Oluwatimi.

From Seattle Times

Children should be taught math and literacy, she said, but academics and play shouldn’t be “an either-or.”

From Los Angeles Times