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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
Pilots allow organizations to learn, adapt, and de-risk before scaling up.—
Peter Bendor-Samuel,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
The city’s current trash predicament traces back to Measure B, a successful 2022 city ballot measure that ended the decades-long practice of San Diego providing no-fee trash service to single-family homes and many small townhome and apartment complexes.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Although Harold is not literary fiction’s first obsessive ruminator, what makes Muscle Man feel so plugged into the moment is how common the predicament feels.—
Jeremy Gordon,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
SaaS giants must avoid these pitfalls by channeling resources into green-light augmentation to ensure adoption and trust.—
Wayne Liu,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
But the search continues, and despite all those pitfalls, hospitals and physicians are using unapproved tests that are available to screen patients, often at exorbitant costs.—
Cory Franklin,
Twin Cities,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Top with chicken mixture and pickle slices.—
Mary Claire Britton,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Sagapolutele’s top targets have been UNLV senior transfer wide receiver Jacob De Jesus (17 catches, 141 yards, TD), sophomore tight end Mason Mini (13-99, 2 TDs) and senior wide receiver Trond Grizzell (11-175, TD).—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Quentin Johnson, a third-year wide receiver who had been considered a disappointment, has 150 yards and three touchdowns on just eight catches this season.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catch-22.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-22. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share