Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

catch-22

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of catch-22

1 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 of catch-22

booby trap, catch, gimmick, gotcha, hitch, joker, land mine, pitfall, snag
Words Related to catch-22

snare, trap, trip wire, web

hazard, peril, risk

bomb, bombshell, kicker, surprise (also surprize)

bait, decoy, lure

2 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 of catch-22

bind, box, corner, dilemma, fix, hole, impasse, jackpot [chiefly West], jam, mire, pickle, predicament, quagmire, rabbit hole, rattrap, spot, sticky wicket, swamp
Words Related to catch-22

difficulty, node

hot water, soup

pinch, plight, quandary, scrape, trouble

deadlock, halt, logjam, stalemate, standstill

clutch, crisis, crossroad, emergency, exigency, juncture, strait
Phrases Synonymous with catch-22

kettle of fish

3 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 of catch-22

dilemma, double bind, quandary
Words Related to catch-22

deadlock, impasse, quagmire, stalemate, standoff

knot, problem

bind, difficulty, fix, hole, jam, pickle, pinch, plight, predicament, spot
Near Antonyms of catch-22

breeze, cinch, duck soup, snap

Learn More about catch-22

  1. Dictionary: Definition of catch-22 Nglish: Translation of catch-22 for Spanish speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up catch-22? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games