He was torn between two choices vs He was split between two choices

Both phrases are correct, but "he was torn between two choices" is the more commonly used and idiomatic expression in English. It conveys the idea that someone is having difficulty making a decision because they feel pulled in two different directions.

Last updated: March 31, 2024 • 654 views

He was torn between two choices

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

This phrase is used to describe a situation where someone is having difficulty making a decision because they feel pulled in two different directions.

Show examples from the web [+]

I had a choice to make between two guys, and I was torn.
I was torn between Dash and Killian, too.
At the same time, there's nothing more important to me than the kids in my life, so I found myself in a situation that we so often find ourselves in, torn between two things, two impossible choices.
Daisy was torn between thread counts, so she wanted me to take a look at these.
She was torn between having the child and having an abortion.
I was torn between chicken or beef, but then it hit me.
The story of a dancer torn between two men.
Torn between two masters, all of us.
The rapporteur's proposal is still torn between two ideas.
I must admit that I am absolutely torn between two ways of looking at this.
It's not fair for you to be torn between two parents.
But I was torn between this and throwing out the first pitch at the sounds game, but since I throw like a girl...
Right now, I'm torn between two places... that pull me with equal force.
I'm torn between two women.
He was always torn between wanting to please his father and hating his methods.
Coroner says he was torn up pretty bad.
He was torn to pieces in the Russian prison.
While my soul remains in this tranquil village, my heart is torn between two desires:
This was very clearly a situation where the Commission was torn between, on the one hand, the commitment to transparency and the legal obligations stemming from European Court of Justice case-law and, on the other, our commitment to honour professional secrecy.
And then, he was torn apart, lambasted as a one-hit wonder.

Alternatives:

he was struggling to choose between two options
he was undecided between two choices

He was split between two choices

This phrase is correct but less commonly used in English.

This phrase can also be used to describe a situation where someone is having difficulty making a decision between two options, but it is less common than 'he was torn between two choices.'

Show examples from the web [+]

Under the 1997 administrative reform, Region Kozła was split between two voivodeships: Lubuskie and Wielkopolskie.
Precision laser light is fired back and forth... and split between two calibrated mirrors.
It may be split between two financial years depending on resource availability.
At the provisional stage the Union data was split between retail and wholesale sales channels, however, Ningbo Favored argued that this created two target prices per product type which it said would be unlawful.
It was reported a few days ago in the Italian press that the future European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) may be split between two seats, each being assigned different tasks and functions.
Where a site is split between two or more regions, as many codes as regions which are involved are entered in the database.
It could be that on one day, the colony is split between two boxes, but on another day, it could be together in a single box, or split between three or more boxes, and that all seems rather erratic, really.
Since then the legal basis for customs cooperation has been split between two of the three EU pillars:
If we become split between two extreme positions over whether or not there should be overall regulation of the issue, I think we will be heading towards a confrontation that will not be in the overall interests of Europe as we understand it.
He camped there because he was right between two fox dens.
He was offering us a choice between two dreams.
He was caught between two very powerful opposing forces.
I think he was caught between two people.
"But now he was between two worlds."
Split between receiving sub-sectors on a voluntary basis.
Nobody is intent on a genuine split between the United States and the European Union.
Most river basins in Europe are split between Member States.
The split between rich and poor countries is becoming increasingly wide.
And her loyalty is split between CTU and DOD.
(The split between the three actions is indicative).

Alternatives:

he was divided between two choices
he was conflicted between two options

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He was torn between two choices vs He was split between two choices