catch-22

noun

ˈkach-ˌtwen-tē-ˈtü 

ˈkech-

plural catch-22's or catch-22s

often capitalized

1

: a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule

the show-business catch-22—no work unless you have an agent, no agent unless you've worked

—Mary Murphy

also : the circumstance or rule that denies a solution

2

a

: an illogical, unreasonable, or senseless situation

b

: a measure or policy whose effect is the opposite of what was intended

c

: a situation presenting two equally undesirable alternatives

3

: a hidden difficulty or means of entrapment : catch

Did you know?

Catch-22 originated as the title of a 1961 novel by Joseph Heller. (Heller had originally planned to title his novel Catch-18, but the publication of Leon Uris's Mila 18 persuaded him to change the number.) The novel's catch-22 was as follows: a combat pilot was crazy by definition (he would have to be crazy to fly combat missions) and since army regulations stipulated that insanity was justification for grounding, a pilot could avoid flight duty by simply asking, but if he asked, he was demonstrating his sanity (anyone who wanted to get out of combat must be sane) and had to keep flying. Catch-22 soon entered the language as the label for any irrational, circular, and impossible situation.

Did you know?

The History of Catch-22

The original catch-22 was a governmental loophole involved in Joseph Heller’s satirical novel Catch-22. Heller’s novel follows the exploits of a bombardier in World War II, and in doing so shines a light on the relentless and circular bureaucracy of war and wartime governments. The term is introduced to describe the apparent loophole, or catch, that prevents a pilot from asking for a mental evaluation to determine if he’s fit to fly:

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. If he flew them, he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to, he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

Catch-22 appears several times in the novel, always invoked to explain a contradiction or an inescapable paradox caused by the rule itself. It was adopted into general English to refer to an illogical situation, or a problem in which the solution is denied by the problem itself.

Synonyms

• booby trap
• catch
• gimmick
• gotcha
• hitch
• joker
• land mine
• pitfall
• snag

Examples of catch-22 in a Sentence

the drug lowers cholesterol, but the catch-22 is that it mainly lowers good cholesterol

the catch-22 faced by every first-time loan applicant: how to get a loan without a credit history

an environmental catch-22: building wind farms results in scenic eyesores; not building wind farms results in greater pollution from fossil fuels

Recent Examples on the Web

The catch-22 is that suiting up through the pain has probably decelerated the recovery process. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 May 2025

Slim’s tale illustrates a deadly catch-22 of Jim Crow economics: Whatever Black people acquired, white people could take by force. —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 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

But there is a catch-22: If Musk continues his close ties to Trump, the company could alienate potential customers, both at home and overseas, who dislike Trump’s policies. —Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from Catch-22, paradoxical rule in the novel Catch-22 (1961) by Joseph Heller

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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