slippery slope: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal and semi-formal; common in argumentative, academic, political, and journalistic contexts.
Quick answer
What does “slippery slope” mean?
A course of action that seems to lead inevitably from one acceptable or minor action to a series of increasingly negative or disastrous consequences.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A course of action that seems to lead inevitably from one acceptable or minor action to a series of increasingly negative or disastrous consequences.
A logical fallacy or argument that suggests a relatively small first step will inevitably set off a chain of related events culminating in a significant and undesirable outcome, often without sufficient evidence for this inevitability.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or grammatical differences. The concept and phrasing are identical in both varieties.
Connotations
Identical connotations. The term carries the same rhetorical weight and is used in similar argumentative contexts.
Frequency
Equally common and used with the same frequency in both UK and US English in political, ethical, and social discourse.
Grammar
How to Use “slippery slope” in a Sentence
[Subject] is/represents a slippery slope to [negative outcome].[Subject] starts down a slippery slope.The argument that [action] is a slippery slope is fallacious.[Verb: slide/go/head] down a slippery slope.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “slippery slope” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The proposal has a slippery-slope quality to it.
American English
- They made a slippery-slope argument against the policy.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Warning against a minor cost-cutting measure that could lead to drastic declines in product quality or employee morale.
Academic
Used in philosophy, law, and ethics to critique arguments about moral or legal precedents (e.g., 'The legalisation of this practice is a slippery slope towards wider infringement of rights.').
Everyday
Expressing worry about a small change leading to bigger problems (e.g., 'Letting him stay up one hour late is a slippery slope; soon he'll never go to bed on time.').
Technical
In logic and rhetoric, identifying the 'slippery slope fallacy' (argumentum ad absurdum) as a failure in reasoning where a conclusion is based on an unlikely chain of events.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “slippery slope”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “slippery slope”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “slippery slope”
- Using it as an adjective to describe a physical surface (e.g., 'The road was a slippery slope' – incorrect for the idiom). For a physical slope, say 'slippery hill/path'.
- Misspelling as 'slippery *slope*'.
- Failing to articulate the chain of events, using the term vaguely without explaining the perceived escalation.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. It describes a valid concern if there is credible evidence that each step in the chain is likely. It is only a fallacy (the slippery slope fallacy) when the argument assumes an inevitable descent without providing that evidence.
Almost never in modern usage. While the words have literal meanings, the phrase is a fixed idiom. To describe a physically slippery hill, you would say 'slippery hill', 'slippery path', or 'the slope is slippery'.
'Start down a slippery slope' or 'embark on a slippery slope' are very common. You can also 'go down', 'slide down', or 'head down' a slippery slope.
The idiom is overwhelmingly negative. A rare, deliberate reversal for effect (e.g., 'a virtuous slippery slope') is possible but highly uncommon and understood as playing on the standard meaning.
A course of action that seems to lead inevitably from one acceptable or minor action to a series of increasingly negative or disastrous consequences.
Slippery slope is usually formal and semi-formal; common in argumentative, academic, political, and journalistic contexts. in register.
Slippery slope: in British English it is pronounced /ˌslɪp.ər.i ˈsləʊp/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌslɪp.ɚ.i ˈsloʊp/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “the thin end of the wedge (similar UK idiom)”
- “opening Pandora's box”
- “giving an inch and taking a mile”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine literally sliding down a steep, slippery hill. You take one small step onto the slope, lose control, and cannot stop yourself from sliding all the way to the bottom into a muddy pond. The phrase captures that same sense of an unstoppable slide from a small start to a bad end.
Conceptual Metaphor
A COURSE OF ACTION IS A PHYSICAL SLOPE; BAD CONSEQUENCES ARE THE BOTTOM OF THE SLOPE; LOSS OF CONTROL IS SLIDING.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'slippery slope' used as a technical term for a logical error?