glass ceiling

American  

[glas see-ling] / ˈglæs ˈsi lɪŋ /

noun

• glass ceilings
  plural

1. an upper limit to professional advancement, especially as imposed upon women, minorities, and other nondominant groups, that is not readily perceived or openly acknowledged.

   It’s more difficult for women of color to break through the glass ceiling.

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glass ceiling British  

noun

1. a situation in which progress, esp promotion, appears to be possible but restrictions or discrimination create a barrier that prevents it

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glass ceiling Cultural  

1. An unacknowledged — and ultimately illegal — barrier to advancement, especially for women and people of color: “In many professions a woman cannot break through the glass ceiling to the upper level of management.” The term dates from the 1980s.

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glass ceiling Idioms  

1. An unacknowledged discriminatory barrier to advancement, especially for women and minorities. For example, Harriet knew she'd never be promoted—she would never get through the glass ceiling. [1980s]

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• glass ceilings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of glass ceiling

First recorded in 1980–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

glass ceiling

Every barrier broken is a notch in a glass ceiling, and the ceiling does not care much whether the person who cracked it got to walk all the way through.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

Heritage minister Baroness Twycross said Bate's achievements "helped break through the glass ceiling and paved the way for women in palaeontology".

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Party insiders say the two are "complementary", each appealing to different sectors of the population and the combination potentially allowing the RN to break through its glass ceiling and finally win power.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

But in Sacramento, within the governor’s suite, California’s highest glass ceiling remains firmly intact.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Thank God the glass ceiling is bulletproof, or the glass would break and I would fall to my death.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

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