NO-WIN Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

no-win

adjective

Definition of no-win

as in impossible

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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 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

Adjective

Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said long-standing restrictions on the civilian system in Ukraine made such offensive use impossible.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
The two versions of Israel that could result are so divergent as to seem impossible to reconcile.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of impossible

Adjective

On Monday, a day after the Colts lost to the winless and hopeless Tennessee Titans at home, Indianapolis announced that Ballard has been relieved of his duties as team general manager.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Colonel Brandon Herbert Nordrum Nordrum plays Colonel Brandon as a sad, hopeless yet smoldering sleeper suitor who can’t take his eyes off of Marianne.

— Reshma Gopaldas, IndieWire, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of hopeless

Adjective

And so, as different as the two exercises are, this latestStanford Prison Experiment becomes as pointless as the first one.

— Judy Berman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Given the inherent volatility and randomness of postseason baseball, trying to draw permanent or predictive conclusions from small sample size outcomes is ultimately pointless.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of pointless

Adjective

The steady trickle of those recordings into the groundwater of influence has guaranteed the album its afterlife, both as a great lost future of American music and as a central pillar in the group’s legacy.

— Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
Walczak’s estimates assume local governments raise tax rates enough to fully replace the lost revenue, based on state property records for every parcel in Florida.

— Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of lost

Adjective

But there is an enormous difference between asking your allies to shoulder more responsibility and telling them that your promise to defend them might be worthless.

— Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Mild unease gave way to statements about being worthless, unloved, and a failure.

— Shae Lake, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of worthless

Browse Nearby Words

nowheresville

no-win

nowise

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“No-win.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-win. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of no-win

adjective

Example Sentences

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