primrose path

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noun

a way of life devoted to irresponsible hedonism, often of a sensual nature: The evangelist exhorted us to avoid the primrose path and stick to the straight and narrow.

a course of action that is easy or tempting but hazardous: the primrose path to insolvency.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of primrose path

First recorded in 1595–1605

Words nearby primrose path

primordium, primp, primrose, primrose family, primrose jasmine, primrose path, primrose yellow, primsie, primula, primulaceous, primum mobile

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

How to use primrose path in a sentence

We see detoxing as a path to transcendence, a symbol of modern urban virtue and self-transformation through abstinence.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The anti-crime cops began searching the likely path of flight.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Senhor José remains stationary, but this lengthy series of clauses propels the reader along an unmarked path.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The flight path remained close to the Indonesian archipelago, well within what is the normal reach of air traffic control radar.
Did Bad Weather Bring Down AirAsia 8501?|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

My trip takes the reverse path, and I begin by assessing the depth of my Shakespeare knowledge in his birthplace.
Biking With the Bard|Kara Cutruzzula|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"But I can't stop to argue about it now;" and, saying this, he turned into a side path, and disappeared in the wood.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
I presume this path does not extend many miles without meeting impediments.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
She had been walking alone with her arms hanging limp, letting her white skirts trail along the dewy path.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Suddenly his quick eye lit on something in the gravel path and his heart gave a great leap.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Squinty went this way and that through the woods, but he could not find the path that led to his pen.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum

British Dictionary definitions for primrose path

primrose path

noun

the primrose path a pleasurable way of life

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for primrose path

primrose path

A life of ease and pleasure; the easy way out of a hard situation. To “lead people down the primrose path” is to deceive them into thinking that things are easier than they actually are.

primrose path

Origin of primrose path

Words nearby primrose path

Words related to primrose path

How to use primrose path in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for primrose path

Cultural definitions for primrose path