1
as in risk
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized
the drug lowers cholesterol, but the catch-22 is that it mainly lowers good cholesterol
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2
as in dilemma
a difficult, puzzling, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy escape
the catch-22 faced by every first-time loan applicant: how to get a loan without a credit history
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3
as in problem
a situation in which one has to choose between two or more equally unsatisfactory choices
an environmental catch-22: building wind farms results in scenic eyesores; not building wind farms results in greater pollution from fossil fuels
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of catch-22
Now, however, the situation is almost like a catch-22 in which everyone loses.
—
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
Indeed, the Oscar winner describes the catch-22 dance of needing to be a member of the Screen Actors Guild to get work, but also needing to have worked to be admitted into the Screen Actors Guild in the first place.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 24 June 2025
The catch-22 is that suiting up through the pain has probably decelerated the recovery process.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 May 2025
This dynamic has created a cruel catch-22 which forces an impossible choice: register and risk immediate deportation, or refuse and become criminalized for noncompliance, destroying any path to legal status.
—Kica Matos, Time, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for catch-22
Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 28 July 2025
Indeed, the Oscar winner describes the catch-22 dance of needing to be a member of the Screen Actors Guild to get work, but also needing to have worked to be admitted into the Screen Actors Guild in the first place.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 24 June 2025
The catch-22 is that suiting up through the pain has probably decelerated the recovery process.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 May 2025
This dynamic has created a cruel catch-22 which forces an impossible choice: register and risk immediate deportation, or refuse and become criminalized for noncompliance, destroying any path to legal status.
—Kica Matos, Time, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for catch-22
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-22
Noun
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Pilots allow organizations to learn, adapt, and de-risk before scaling up.—
Peter Bendor-Samuel,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Getting confronted with gruesome, horrific imagery has, unfortunately, become an assumed risk when logging onto social media.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The company applies a sociological attention to the gestures and dilemmas of people’s daily routines; once harvested, these insights are quickly incorporated into product designs.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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Drone dilemma The US excels at building large, expensive weaponry, but most American soldiers lack the know-how for fighting with unmanned systems.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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According to Champion, the wedding went off without a hitch — in no small part because her husband-to-be was very hands-on throughout the planning process.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
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The two-door, three-person Can-Am Defender Limited and the four-door, six-person Defender Max Limited have 82-horsepower engines, power steering, tow hitches with a 2,500-pound towing capacity, winches, air conditioning and heating, a full hard roof and a three-position tilt-up glass windshield.—
Steve Waters,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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With the bullish determination of Ed and the wide-eyed second sight of Lorraine, the Warrens’ only child sells a clear vision of right and wrong when news of the Smurls’ predicament comes their way.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
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To that end, Johnson and the CTU’s Springfield strategy has been at the forefront of all their public messaging on how the school district gets out of this fiscal predicament.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Here are five prompts that can be cut-and-pasted into any free AI model to help prospective purchasers save thousands of dollars, identify potential pitfalls in advance and empower renters to stop funding someone else’s wealth plan.—
Tor Constantino,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Even CEOs of major AI companies are starting to admit the pitfalls and quirks of the technology.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Those lessons will have to come quickly, considering the season pickle the Chiefs have put themselves in.—
Jesse Newell,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Top with chicken mixture and pickle slices.—
Mary Claire Britton,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While this usually indicates a healthy corporate sector, some worry this narrowness may lead investors to misprice risks, particularly as some industries hit snags in an uncertain economic environment.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
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On the northeast and east side, firefighting crews continue to mop up and strengthen existing lines by removing snags and completing hose lays across steep, rocky terrain, and old-growth vegetation.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Wideout Sean Brown suffered a contusion during his catch and run in Saturday night’s loss and is expected to be OK, but didn’t practice on Tuesday, according to Albin.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Jerry Rice Widely considered one of the greatest wide receivers of all time and one of the NFL's all-time leaders in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns, Rice, 62, has not slowed down since retiring from football in 2005.—
Stacy Lambe,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catch-22.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-22. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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