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Synonyms

no-win

American  
[noh-win] / ˈnoʊˈwɪn /

adjective

Informal.
  1. denoting a condition in which one cannot benefit, succeed, or win.

    a no-win situation; a no-win war.


no-win British  

adjective

  1. offering no possibility of a favourable outcome (esp in the phrase a no-win situation )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of no-win

First recorded in 1960–65

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:

For fans like Hawk, duking it out for tickets on the open market against New York’s 1% was simply a no-win proposition.

From The Wall Street Journal May 28, 2026

I’ve put machines, and my friends and family, in a no-win situation.

From Slate May 6, 2026

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

From MarketWatch Nov. 4, 2025

"It was more than being allergic - you were going into a no-win scenario," a former No 10 official recalls.

From BBC Nov. 1, 2025

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

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