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- Dictionarycatch-22/ˌkatʃˌtwɛntɪˈtuː/
noun
- 1. a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions: "a catch-22 situation"
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Catch-22 is a term for an irrational, circular, and impossible situation, often used to describe a paradox or a hidden difficulty. It originated from a novel by Joseph Heller about a World War II pilot who could not escape combat duty because he was sane and insane at the same time.
Catch-22 is a phrase that describes an impossible situation where you are prevented from doing one thing until you have done another thing that you cannot do until you have done the first thing. Learn more about the origin, usage and synonyms of catch-22 from Cambridge Dictionary.
A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. [1] The term was coined by Joseph Heller, who used it in his 1961 novel Catch-22 .
noun. a situation in which a person is frustrated by a paradoxical rule or set of circumstances that preclude any attempt to escape from them. a situation in which any move that a person can make will lead to trouble. Catch-22. (1961) A war novel by the American author Joseph Heller.
Catch-22 is a comic but serious novel by Joseph Heller about the madness of war, and a film based on it. It also means an impossible situation where you need to do two things at once.
If you describe a situation as a Catch-22, you mean it is an impossible situation because you cannot do one thing until you do another thing, but you cannot do the second thing until you do the first thing.
Catch-22 is a noun that means an impossible situation where you cannot do one thing until you have done another thing, but you cannot do the other thing until you have done the first thing. See examples and translations of Catch-22 in different languages.
