Catch-22

Or catch-22

[kach-twen-tee-too]

noun

plural

Catch-22's, Catch-22s 

1. a frustrating situation in which one is trapped by contradictory regulations or conditions.

2. any illogical or paradoxical problem or situation; dilemma.

3. a condition, regulation, etc., preventing the resolution of a problem or situation; catch.

catch-22

noun

1. a situation in which a person is frustrated by a paradoxical rule or set of circumstances that preclude any attempt to escape from them

2. a situation in which any move that a person can make will lead to trouble

Catch-22

1. (1961) A war novel by the American author Joseph Heller. “Catch-22” is a provision in army regulations; it stipulates that a soldier's request to be relieved from active duty can be accepted only if he is mentally unfit to fight. Any soldier, however, who has the sense to ask to be spared the horrors of war is obviously mentally sound, and therefore must stay to fight.

Figuratively, a “catch-22” is any absurd arrangement that puts a person in a double bind: for example, a person can't get a job without experience, but can't get experience without a job.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Catch-22¹

From a military regulation in a novel of the same name (1961) by U.S. novelist Joseph Heller (1923–99)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Catch-22¹

C20: from the title of a novel (1961) by the US writer J. Heller (1923–99)

Idioms and Phrases

A no-win dilemma or paradox, similar to damned if I do, damned if I don't. For example, You can't get a job without experience, but you can't get experience unless you have a job—it's Catch-22. The term gained currency as the title of a 1961 war novel by Joseph Heller, who referred to an Air Force rule whereby a pilot continuing to fly combat missions without asking for relief is regarded as insane, but is considered sane enough to continue flying if he does make such a request.

Example Sentences

"There's a real catch-22," Ms Marie says.

From BBC

Deepti Gupta, a 2022 Audie best female narrator winner for “The Parted Earth” by Anjali Enjeti and a recurring actor on the medical drama “The Pitt,” says casting can be a “weird Catch-22. On one hand we want specificity, but that can make actors feel stereotyped.”

From Los Angeles Times

Small wonder that scientists are reluctant to take a public stand against anti-science claptrap — apart from the risk that by fighting back against partisan interference, scientists could fall into what the Atlantic’s Katherine J. Wu identifies as a Catch-22: running the risk of “advancing the narrative they want to fight — that science in the U.S. is a political endeavor.”

From Los Angeles Times

Then there are the Hollywood unions, which present a catch-22 to anyone trying to join their ranks — they have to do a certain number of hours in jobs covered by union contracts, but union members get first crack at all those gigs.

From Los Angeles Times

“Doctor Strangelove,” “Catch-22,” and “M*A*S*H” collide in British journalist Phoebe Greenwood’s blistering debut novel, “Vulture,” a darkly comic, searing satire grounded in historic politics, suffused with incipient journalism and imbued with self-aggrandizement.

From Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What does Catch-22 mean?

Coming from the novel of the same name, a Catch-22 is a situation where one is trapped by two contradictory conditions. It's more generally used to refer to a paradox or dilemma.Example: to get a certain job, you need work experience. But to get that work experience, you need to have had a job. It’s a Catch-22.