1
as in risk
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
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2
as in dilemma
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
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3
as in problem
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of catch-22
This is to some extent a consequence of how quickly the government had to act in the face of that emergency, a catch-22 between ensuring that the money would be going to actually help people who needed it and having to get billions out the door at lightning-speed.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
If the original idea behind streaming music was empowering artists and creating a digital hub of all music, this current era offers a newfangled catch-22.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
The hotel is only for guests 21 and older which is a bit of a catch-22.
—Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
For employees, this creates a catch-22.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catch-22
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
If the original idea behind streaming music was empowering artists and creating a digital hub of all music, this current era offers a newfangled catch-22.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
The hotel is only for guests 21 and older which is a bit of a catch-22.
—Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 29 Sep. 2025
For employees, this creates a catch-22.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catch-22
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-22
Noun
-
The letter warns that those credits are now at risk of expiring, and argues that they should be made refundable or transferable.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2026
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His attorneys said his blood sugar levels were only checked once a month in the jail, putting him at risk of organ failure or even death.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Perhaps every story in which the characters are fundamentally unable to change their lives is subject to this same dilemma.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
-
Casa Amor, as a concept, is traditionally structured like a prisoner’s dilemma, with neither the main villa nor Casa Islanders aware of what their counterparts are doing while they’re separated.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
But once again, the party went without a hitch.—
Erika Stanish,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
In Houston, some drivers were up to their trailer hitches in lapping waters, while photos from Waco, Texas, showed roadways washed away by the storms.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Rather than allow the observatory to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, NASA turned Swift’s predicament into a test of an emerging technology — robotic satellite servicing.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
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And Prince George, who is third in line to the throne, is apparently in that predicament.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Greenstein made the remark at Fortune Brainstorm Tech in Aspen earlier this month as part of a roundtable that examined the benefits and pitfalls of rapid AI adoption across different corporate sectors.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
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Other Décor Mistakes While designers agree that a catalog-style room is one of the biggest decorating pitfalls, there are a few other details that can have a similar effect.—
Angelika Pokovba,
Martha Stewart,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Layer the onions, 2 to 3 bacon pieces, and 2 to 3 pickles over the patty.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
Add a small amount of pickle juice or vinegar to your egg salad.—
Anna Giorgi,
Verywell Health,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Ionic technology helps regulate heat and flatten thick hair types while eliminating frizz, and the ceramic plates deliver a shiny, snag-free finish that's especially useful for thick hair prone to tangles.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
18 June 2026
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Despite overall improvements across the district in both the high school EOC STAAR test and the 3-8 exams, Licata announced last week that more than a dozen schools experienced notable snags that would qualify them for the Elevate network.—
Samuel O’Neal and,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Ralston highlighted research indicating that more than 40% of breeding permit fish, a key recreational fishery in the state, were being lost to sharks during the catch-and-release process.—
Bri Buckley,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
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New Zealand had already dropped two catches in Sri Lanka's chase when Georgia Plimmer took a brilliant grab running in from long-on.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Catch-22.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-22. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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