Word.ws English Dictionary

taking the red pill

taking the red pill is the present participle and gerund of take the red pill.

Meaning of take the red pill

Verb

take the red pill (third-person singular simple present takes the red pill, present participle taking the red pill, simple past took the red pill, past participle taken the red pill)

  1. (idiomatic) To perceive the world in its previously unknown, usually harsher, reality.
    • If you want to be a successful bootstrapper, you have to take the red pill and determine how deep the rabbit hole called your organization goes.2004 September 9, Guy Kawasaki, The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, Portfolio, →ISBN, →OL, page 92
    Synonyms:
    face facts, wise up

Questions about taking the red pill

What is taking the red pill the present participle and gerund of?
Taking the red pill is the present participle and gerund of take the red pill.

Words near taking the red pill in the dictionary

  1. taking the plunge
  2. taking the point
  3. taking the purple
  4. taking the rap
  5. taking the red eye
  6. taking the red pill
  7. taking the register
  8. taking the reins
  9. taking the ride
  10. taking the roll
  11. taking the rough with the smooth

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: taking the red pill (page history and authors); take the red pill (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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