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a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

a little knowledge is a dangerous thing proverb: a limited understanding of a subject can lead individuals to overestimate their expertise, often resulting in errors or misguided decisions due to false confidence.

Proverb

a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

  1. A limited understanding of a subject can lead individuals to overestimate their expertise, often resulting in errors or misguided decisions due to false confidence.
    • Of course anybody can saw off a limb; but here, as so often happens, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and a little more will often save a dear old friend of the family and the neighborhood.1926, Francis Blake Atkinson, Hallam Hawksworth, A Year in the Wonderland of Trees, page 176

Synonyms of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Origin of a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

A slight misquotation of Alexander Pope’s a little learning is a dangerous thing. The earliest use dates from a magazine published in 1774.

Questions about a little knowledge is a dangerous thing

What does a little knowledge is a dangerous thing mean?
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing means a limited understanding of a subject can lead individuals to overestimate their expertise, often resulting in errors or misguided decisions due to false confidence.
What part of speech is a little knowledge is a dangerous thing?
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing is a proverb.

Words near a little knowledge is a dangerous thing in the dictionary

  1. a little bit
  2. a little bit of bread and no cheese
  3. a little from column A and a little from column B
  4. a little from column A, a little from column B
  5. a little goes a long way
  6. a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
  7. a little learning is a dangerous thing
  8. a little matter
  9. a little of something goes a long way
  10. a little of the creature
  11. a little pot is soon hot

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: a little knowledge is a dangerous thing (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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