slippery slope

noun

: a course of action that seems to lead inevitably from one action or result to another with unintended consequences

Examples of slippery slope in a Sentence

His behavior will lead him down a slippery slope to ruin.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Another school of thought is that some are concerned about the slippery slope of precedent that could be created by inducting Tyrer. Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 7 Feb. 2025 Even using the promise of a reward as motivation can be a slippery slope. Erica Sloan, SELF, 31 Jan. 2025 Unless Americans, our courts, and patriotic legislators are willing to stand up for the law and the Constitution, we are launched on a slippery slope that can only end in a nondemocratic state. Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025 There is a slippery slope #2: Conflating AI with ASI, or conflating AGI with ASI. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slippery slope 

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slippery slope was in 1951

Dictionary Entries Near slippery slope

Cite this Entry

“Slippery slope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slippery%20slope. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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