Synonyms

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

But in a sense, Fincher was saddled with a no-win situation.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025

From his time working for the BBC, he said he could see "all-too-well the no-win situation it often finds itself in".

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 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

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