glass cliff

[ glas-klif ]

noun

a situation in which a woman or minority has advanced professionally at a time when adverse circumstances or crises make it more likely for the person to fail at the job: Hired to boost sagging morale, the CEO is facing the edge of a glass cliff.

Origin of glass cliff

¹

Coined in 2004 by Michelle K. Ryan (1948– ) and S. Alexander Haslan (1962– ), British psychologists, on the model of glass ceiling

Words Nearby glass cliff

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use glass cliff in a sentence

Not so far behind Jim Bridger and his telescopic glass cliff, that little touch about the mile-posts.
Down the Yellowstone | Lewis R. Freeman
He found this glass cliff and told about it then—and everybody said he was a liar.
Yellowstone Nights | Herbert Quick

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