Use “glass ceiling” for an unofficial but real barrier that blocks advancement to higher positions despite formal access or qualifications. The phrase is about hidden or informal limits on advancement, not every obstacle or explicit rule that restricts promotion.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionPhrases & Idioms
Quick answer
Use “glass ceiling” for an unofficial but real barrier that blocks advancement to higher positions despite formal access or qualifications.
Key details
Canonical Formglass ceiling
Core Meaningan unofficial barrier that prevents someone, especially a woman, from advancing beyond a certain level in an organization or profession
Further guidance
History Boundary
Current meaning is published without asserting unsupported inventor, coinage date, or absolute-first-use chronology.
Meaning
an unofficial barrier that prevents someone, especially a woman, from advancing beyond a certain level in an organization or profession
Usage Boundary
The phrase is about hidden or informal limits on advancement, not every obstacle or explicit rule that restricts promotion.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
“Glass cliff” describes appointment to a high position in unusually difficult conditions with a heightened risk of failure. Current dictionary usage particularly discusses the term in relation to women and minority-group leaders; this guide does not claim an unsupported coinage history.
A “bull market” is a period in which share prices or financial investments are generally rising. The term describes a broad market condition; do not use it for a single asset rising briefly or claim a universal numeric threshold from this dictionary definition.
A “buyer’s market” is a market where supply exceeds buyer demand, typically giving buyers more bargaining power and keeping prices lower. It can apply in housing and other markets; the phrase describes the balance between supply and demand rather than guaranteeing a particular price outcome.
“Close Ranks” means for members of a group to unite closely, especially when defending themselves against criticism. The guide stays with current documented meaning and does not add unsupported origin chronology.
“Dead Man Walking” means someone considered certain to lose a job, position, or status soon; in US prison usage, a prisoner awaiting execution. The figurative workplace/status sense and the US prison sense are distinct contexts, so the surrounding situation determines the intended meaning.
An “economic moat” is a durable competitive advantage that helps protect a company from rivals over an extended period. Morningstar also uses formal moat ratings with its own methodology; do not treat every casual claim that a business has a moat as equivalent to a specific Morningstar rating.
Use “game changer” for a person, event, product, or development that materially changes how a situation unfolds; do not use it for a merely noticeable but minor change. The guide stays with current documented meaning and does not assert unsupported origin chronology.
“Hat Trick” means three scores or three comparable successes by the same person or side. The phrase is especially common in sport, but dictionaries also document broader figurative use for three successes.
