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 lopsided ecosystem of ultra-rich tech moguls battling each other has enriched Nvidia while forcing application developers into a catch-22 of either using a low-cost and low-performance model bound to disappoint users, or face paying exorbitant inference costs and risk going bankrupt.
—
Kai-Fu Lee, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
Select the right seat People who deal with migraines tend to be ultra-sensitive to motion sickness, which is a catch-22 because motion sickness can trigger an attack.
—Cheyenne Buckingham, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024
Pepe and Lonergan may in fact be caught in a catch-22.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024
To file, debtors owe an up-front fee that can exceed $1,000—a bizarre catch-22 for someone who can’t afford to pay their bills.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for catch-22 
Kai-Fu Lee, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024
Select the right seat People who deal with migraines tend to be ultra-sensitive to motion sickness, which is a catch-22 because motion sickness can trigger an attack.
—Cheyenne Buckingham, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Nov. 2024
Pepe and Lonergan may in fact be caught in a catch-22.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2024
To file, debtors owe an up-front fee that can exceed $1,000—a bizarre catch-22 for someone who can’t afford to pay their bills.
—Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for catch-22
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catch-22
Noun
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The area is now at risk for mudslides amid the looming threat of extensive rain.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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Caregivers are urged to get up to date on their vaccines because that can reduce the risk of passing on an infection to young children, Mestre said.—
Alexander Tin,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That would be the quiet young man sitting opposite me in a pub in Stockport while the Liverpool vice-captain wrestles with the dilemma of whether to leave for Real Madrid to pursue his dream of winning the Ballon d’Or.—
Oliver Kay,
The Athletic,
8 Feb. 2025
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Other data showed evidence of moral improvement: people's rates of cooperation in the prisoner's dilemma game from 1956 to 2017 increased.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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So far, there haven’t been reports of major technical failings on Tubi’s end, indicating the event went on largely without a hitch.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2025
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Despite 13 buildings being burned down, one person killed, 11 wounded, 400 arrested and $1 million worth of damage, the game went off as scheduled without a hitch.—
Barry M. Bloom,
Sportico.com,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Compounding the sector’s overall predicament was the collapse of the federal government in December, forcing snap elections scheduled for Feb. 23.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2025
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Much like the Europeans, Trump looks at the Taiwanese and has little sympathy with their predicament.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Here are three common leadership pitfalls that Musk's rise calls to mind and which have felled countless leaders and mass movements through history.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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The authors also point out common pitfalls on the way to purpose and offer suggestions for how to create and sustain initiatives that deeply align with an organization’s core values.—
Christopher P. Blocker,
Joseph P. Cannon,
Jonathan Z. Zhang,
Harvard Business Review,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The company mentioned Pinterest naming pickles as a top trend for 2025 as another reason for the new flavor.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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So what makes this gentle would-be romance between a bookstore clerk and a pickle vendor so timeless, so endlessly appealing?—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Zoom in: The story appears to have started when Politico missed payroll on Tuesday because of a tech snag, media reporter Will Sommer notes.—
Erica Pandey,
Axios,
5 Feb. 2025
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Image In the past few years, as pandemic supply chain snags and geopolitical shocks produced a spike in prices around the world, officials in Japan seized the opportunity to turn elevated import costs into lasting inflation.—
River Akira Davis,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The playful animals, which can grow to 7 feet long and 700 pounds, delight tourists at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and other oceanfront locations, while sometimes competing with salmon fishermen for valuable catches.—
Paul Rogers,
The Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2025
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But there was a catch—Monson knew all along that Pluto was not, in fact, a Rottweiler.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
15 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near catch-22
Cite this Entry
“Catch-22.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catch-22. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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