no-win situation

Idioms

A situation certain to end in failure or disappointment, as in If the in-laws visit them or they visit the in-laws, either way they see it as a no-win situation. [c. 1960]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

no-win situation

The end result: Renters get caught in something of a no-win situation.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2025

These tactics deeply annoyed Burns, and they also created a no-win situation for him.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2025

Building a universally pleasing story around Section 31 might be the Kobayashi Maru of the Trek universe — a no-win situation.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2025

“It is an absolute no-win situation but this is the best plan of attack and we don’t want anyone else hurt.”

From New York Times ● May 30, 2023

It was a no-win situation for the 13 women who had passed the same testing as the men of the Mercury 7.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023