no-win

adjective

Definition of no-winnext
as in impossible

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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 no-win In a sense, Bowman was in a no-win situation — tight to the salary ceiling and without a ton of future capital to work with, with a team that had plenty of needs and a clock ticking loudly. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026 Avoid a short, no-win situation in mid-May, then buckle up for popularity, heightened ambitions, new clarity and cosmic protection over all. — Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026 Or has that become a no-win move? — Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 31 Jan. 2026 This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy. — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for no-win
Recent Examples of Synonyms for no-win
  1. impossible
  2. hopeless
  3. pointless
  4. lost
  5. unattainable
  6. worthless
Adjective
  • All four getting in is probably impossible; even three Best Picture nominations for a single studio is extremely rare in the modern era.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • And no style is over $100, which honestly feels impossible these days.
    — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of impossible
Adjective
  • Pettus said watching Patterson's progress and seeing her family in a home of their own has been especially meaningful after a period that once seemed hopeless.
    — Jennifer Bisram, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Approximately 18% of all Latino high school students have seriously contemplated suicide and 42% of Latino youths reported constantly feeling sad or hopeless, recent congressional studies found.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of hopeless
Adjective
  • Ultimately, the fight proved pointless anyway as Seinfeld and David figured out how to get both Bauer and Skowron in there.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Totally ruined by introducing too many plot lines that were pointless or opened up and left alone without closure.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of pointless
Adjective
  • Relations between criminals and the authorities would become especially cozy; nostalgic references to a lost past would provide a false sense of continuity.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Anyone researching a hair transplant in Turkey in their twenties should read a clinic’s willingness to advise waiting as a sign of quality rather than a lost sale.
    — William Jones, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of lost
Adjective
  • Even most six-figure earners say buying a house feels unattainable.
    — Heather Occhino, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • From a commercial perspective, the challenge is to create products that are recognizable without being predictable, desirable without feeling unattainable, and contemporary without becoming disposable.
    — Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of unattainable
Adjective
  • Celebrated as masterpieces today, at the time they were regarded as the unpolished works of a depressed, crazy man and commercially worthless.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
  • But a few years back, collectors were paying up to tens of millions for now-worthless NFTs, so the value of anything in the art collectibles world is arguably whatever somebody is willing to pay.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of worthless

Browse Nearby Words

nowheresville
no-win
nowise
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Cite this Entry

“No-win.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-win. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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