no-win

adjective

Definition of no-winnext
as in impossible

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 This is a no-win situation because one of us will end up unhappy. — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026 This type of agreement is not unheard of, according to Billboard, mirroring the no-win-no-fee model employed by some legal firms. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 16 Dec. 2025 The reality is that caregiving will frequently put you in no-win situations where no easy answer exists. — Kat McGowan, NPR, 18 Oct. 2025 Employees are caught in a no-win situation, pressured to adopt AI tools yet reluctant to admit it. — Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 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
  • Atomix, with just fourteen seats along its chef’s counter, has never been easy to book, but, in the age of reservation scalpers and oligarch concierges, getting a table there has become functionally impossible.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 26 July 2026
  • When Black voters faced threats of violence at the ballot box, the community showed up in numbers that were impossible to ignore.
    — Kyle Lierman, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of impossible
Adjective
  • Johnston made his breakout performance as the toxically hopeless romantic Bear in Curry Barker’s Obsession, which has become Focus Features’ highest grossing title ever, surpassing $300M globally last month.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 23 July 2026
  • As the years speed forward, a new round of violence will force these characters into a final confrontation with the challenge of building a hopeless future together.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
Definition of hopeless
Adjective
  • There are days, too, when the whole enterprise can seem wearisome, pointless, artificial.
    — Matt Seaton, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026
  • But trade theft cases in Silicon Valley are usually pointless and tragic because information finds a way out of companies anyway.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of pointless
Adjective
  • But Colorado seems keen on building around their best player, not trading him amid a lost season.
    — The Athletic MLB Staff, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Add up the lost asset, the unrealized revenue, the broken contract and the cost of recovery.
    — Nilton Bernini, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of lost
Adjective
  • The ongoing housing crisis, characterized by soaring rents and unattainable mortgages, is profoundly disrupting communities, forcing displacement and severing crucial relationships.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • By completing a four-game sweep of the Rays the Red Sox are in a place where the American League East title no longer looks unattainable.
    — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 19 July 2026
Definition of unattainable
Adjective
  • Indispensable software gets more expensive, while inefficient software becomes worthless.
    — George Wells, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • What otherwise might have been worthless bits of trash commanded the highest bids due to where the two items were 57 years ago—lifting off aboard NASA’s Apollo 11 spacecraft on humanity’s first mission to land astronauts on the Moon.
    — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
Definition of worthless

Browse Nearby Words

nowheresville
no-win
nowise
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“No-win.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-win. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kludge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All