English / idiom
catch-22
MEANING IN ENGLISH
A frustrating, paradoxical dilemma where contradictory rules make any favorable outcome impossible
In context
01
You need professional experience to land a job, but without a job you cannot gain experience, which is a classic Catch-22.
02
She was trapped in a Catch-22 because exposing the fraud would reveal her own unintentional oversight.
Synonyms
vicious circle,double bind,no-win situation
Antonyms
win-win situation,clear solution
Collocations
classic Catch-22,face a Catch-22,caught in a Catch-22