variants
or catch-22s
1
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
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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And while some seasons in the past have felt safe in the Italian fashion capital, many Milan designers took risks this season, pushing a distinct vision.—
Lucy Maguire,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026 -
But that risks projecting the weakness Tehran is so allergic to.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Feb. 2026
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Braude grounds his narrative in the persistent dilemmas of journalism, especially the question of how to tell the story of a bewildering moment without the benefit of hindsight.—
Casey Schwartz,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But her journey hasn’t been without a few hitches.—
Aaron Tolentino,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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The draft horse shows this week during the stock show’s 120th anniversary will include 15 six-horse hitches, or six horses pulling a wagon.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Winning from behind is not sustainable, and the predicaments in which Chelsea have found themselves this week point to other problems.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
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Rustin has slyly given her script a focus on women’s needs and feelings, a welcome departure for a genre that usually is more concerned about the men’s predicaments.—
Matthew J. Palm,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This home was not his main compound, sources said, and the area was not studded with land mines.—
Steve Fisher,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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Because there are traps, and there are tricks, and there are land mines.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There’s also a mouth-watering 10-ounce American wagyu skirt steak served with shishito peppers, pickles and charred carrots.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
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It is traditionally topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and onions.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The movie’s biggest laughs come from Kevin’s hijinks, which involve setting up complex booby traps to fend off a pair of burglars targeting his family’s home.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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Their 2025-26 season has been littered with injury landmines and other booby traps hidden in the walls of Ball Arena.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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What’s next is to keep looking for gaps or holes where certain processes need to be made more efficient.—
Karen Esquivel,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
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That means expect bargain shopping, not whale hunting when free agency opens next week even though the roster has more holes than most offseasons.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
1 Mar. 2026
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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 5 Mar. 2026.
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