catch-22
Upper Intermediate (B2) neutral
A no-win situation where you can't succeed because the rules prevent it.
"You need experience to get a job, but you can't get experience without a job — it's a catch-22."
Hear it in context
The Man Who Proved We Can't Control AI (And What That Means for Humanity) | Roman Yampolskiy
André Duqum · 13:44
It's a catch-22.
Trump Is Losing the ‘MAHA Moms’ | Big Take
Bloomberg Podcasts · 12:11
In a kind of MAHA catch-22,
I will never go to Coachella 
Geography Now · 1:11
Here's the catch-22 of the situation.
Gadget Prices Are Getting Ridiculous
WVFRM Podcast · 56:05
So, it's like a it's catch-22.
Hour 2: Justin Williams, The Athletic
ESPN College Football · 24:26
Well, and and yeah, that's a catch-22.