variants
or catch-22s
1
as in land mines
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 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
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-22's
Noun
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There are different ways to demine territory, from using dogs to sniff out land mines to sappers—combat engineers focusing on clearing mines—manually working their way through an area, or operators remotely controlling large demining machines.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Aug. 2025 -
The ninth inning revealed other land mines.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Living with Israel’s military assertiveness Israel, the unquestioned military power and sole nuclear weapons state in the region, has long posed particularly deep political dilemmas to Gulf Arab states.—
David Mednicoff,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Wrestling over a decade with those rich character dilemmas got Vanderbilt an incredible roster of actors who here work at the height of their game.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Attached to Paxton is a long list of ethical and moral problems.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Ellison pledged to give away 95% of his wealth to advance scientific research and solve complex problems related to health and aging.—
Martine Paris,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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One major concern experts have flagged is liquidity risks in private asset funds.—
Jenni Reid,Ganesh Rao,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
-
But being cautious doesn’t mean ignoring the risks.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These may show up in Ukraine before long, perhaps walking ahead of patrols to find booby traps and clear routes through minefields, or taking bullets to expose enemy firing position.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Still, they’re exposed to financial pitfalls, primarily due to insufficient accounting support.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Minkoff is refreshingly candid about the pitfalls of the startup playbook.—
Karin Eldor,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After some initial snags—customers receiving duplicate cards, criminals snatching unclaimed ones out of mailboxes—the cards began to turn a profit.—
Michael Waters,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
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For the evening, the top priority remains the east flank of the fire, reinforcing fire lines made during previous shifts and preparing for potential strategic firing operations by removing snags.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Fannin tied another rookie, Tyler Warren, for the most catches of all time by a tight end in week one.—
Steve Bradshaw,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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The lineup stranded 11 baserunners, though Toronto center fielder Daulton Varsho did make two remarkable catches that squashed scoring chances.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Catch-22's.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-22%27s. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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