CATCH-22S Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

catch-22's

noun

variants or catch-22s

plural of catch-22

as in risks

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

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as in dilemmas

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

as in problems

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-22's

Noun

The pope, who has made sounding the alarm about the risks of AI a central part of his 16-month papacy, put the issue at the heart of his visit to France.

— Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
What didn’t happen were promises of purchases or agreement on addressing artificial intelligence risks, the war in Iran or taking steps toward resolving other vexing world challenges.

— Kevin Breuninger,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of risks

Noun

Like the genre itself, the final season’s lingering dilemmas aren’t unheard of, but the way they’re explored is unique, creative, and insightful.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026
The show also posed sci-fi ideas, such as the potential dilemmas of time travel and encountering new and strange life forms.

— Mandalit del Barco, NPR, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of dilemmas

Noun

That type of physicality can come in handy on plays like quick hitches, screens, drags run over the middle of the field.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
The process had a few hitches in it caused by the divorce, but the Swopes showed up regularly at their immigration meetings as scheduled, working through the long process.

— Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch, 12 July 2026

Definition of hitches

Noun

On the screen, in a series of daredevil adventures, the actor had extricated himself from a hundred impossible predicaments.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Aemond, too, for that matter, while Daemon’s arrogance continues to get Team Black into all sorts of predicaments.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of predicaments

Noun

Since the wars ended, land mines and unexploded ordnance have killed approximately 90,000 people and wounded almost twice as many across the three countries.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
More than any other sports league, the WNBA is fraught with land mines that are ready to explode whenever a Black woman — like, Alyssa Thomas — commits a hard foul on, say, the league’s most visible star, Caitlin Clark.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 July 2026

Definition of land mines

Noun

Anderson’s $38 jars of pickles raised $500,000 for the California Wildlife Center.

— Marc Malkin, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Its chicken salad scoop options include the Olivia’s Old South (sweet pickles and egg), Jalapeño Holly (with jalapeños), Nutty Nanna (with pecans and cashews), and Barbie Q.

— Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of pickles

Noun

But first, Roy has to undo all the booby traps in there placed to mess with visiting teams’ heads.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
The gauntlet of booby traps culminating in the giant boulder that kick off Raiders is my single favorite opening sequence in a movie ever.

— Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026

Definition of booby traps

Noun

The event features 36 holes of stroke play Saturday and Sunday, and then takes the top 64 and puts them in a single elimination match-play bracket that begins on Monday and ends with a 36-hole championship match on Thursday.

— Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
The plant’s interior pot has drainage holes, hidden in the cachepot, so your plant won’t drown and your hardwoods won’t get wrecked.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of holes

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.

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catch-22

catch-22's

catchall

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“Catch-22's.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-22%27s. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of catch-22's

noun

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