Word.ws English Dictionary

slippery slope

/ˌslɪ.pə.ɹiˈsləʊp/

slippery slope noun: a chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.

Noun

slippery slope (plural slippery slopes)

  1. (figuratively) A chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.
    • I think basing your actions off an assumption like that is a slippery slope that is going to get you in trouble.
    • She's gotten herself on a slippery slope to being dismissed.
  2. (broadly) A logical fallacy in which a party asserts that a particular result will probably follow from a given decision or circumstance, without necessarily providing any rational argument for the likelihood of the assumed consequence.

Examples of slippery slope in a sentence

  • But our conference would find itself on a slippery slope if we started to dig over the past and look for material for recriminations and mutual accusations.1959, United States Department of State, quoting Mr. Gromyko, “Seventh Session, May 19, 1959”, in International Organization and Conference...
  • The path of closures and withdrawals is a slippery slope that can by itself create in the mind of the public—and particularly traders—the impression of a fading and diminishing concern.1964 November, P. F. Winding, “Re-shaping the LMR's North Western Line - 2”, in Modern Railways, page 346:
  • “What we’re looking at is the classic slippery slope,” he said.2019 May 20, Walter Thompson, “A school's mural removal: should kids be shielded from brutal US history?”, in The Guardian:

Synonyms of slippery slope

Forms of slippery slope

pluralslippery slopes

Questions about slippery slope

What does slippery slope mean?
Slippery slope means a chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.
How do you use slippery slope in a sentence?
But our conference would find itself on a slippery slope if we started to dig over the past and look for material for recriminations and mutual accusations.
What part of speech is slippery slope?
Slippery slope is a noun.
How do you pronounce slippery slope?
Slippery slope is pronounced /ˌslɪ.pə.ɹiˈsləʊp/.
What is the plural of slippery slope?
The plural of slippery slope is slippery slopes.

Words near slippery slope in the dictionary

  1. Slippery Sam
  2. slippery sequence
  3. slippery sequences
  4. slippery slide
  5. slippery slides
  6. slippery slope
  7. slippery slopes
  8. slippest
  9. slippeth
  10. slippier
  11. slippiest

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: slippery slope (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.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-slippery slope.wav.

Cite this entry: “slippery slope.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/slippery_slope. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.