slippery slope

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word slippery slope. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word slippery slope, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say slippery slope in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word slippery slope you have here. The definition of the word slippery slope will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofslippery slope, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

This entry needs quotations to illustrate usage. If you come across any interesting, durably archived quotes then please add them!
Particularly: “logical fallacy sense”
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Noun

slippery slope (plural slippery slopes)

  1. (figuratively) A chain of events that, once initiated, cannot be halted; especially one in which the final outcome is undesirable or precarious.
    Synonyms: thin edge of the wedge, thin end of the wedge
    I think basing your actions off an assumption like that is a slippery slope that is going to get you in trouble.
    • 1959, United States Department of State, quoting Mr. Gromyko, “Seventh Session, May 19, 1959”, in International Organization and Conference Series:
      But our conference would find itself on a slippery slope if we started to dig over the past and look for material for recriminations and mutual accusations.
    • 1964 November, P. F. Winding, “Re-shaping the LMR's North Western Line - 2”, in Modern Railways, page 346:
      The path of closures and withdrawals is a slippery slope that can by itself create in the mind of the public—and particularly traders—the impression of a fading and diminishing concern.
    • 2019 May 20, Walter Thompson, “A school's mural removal: should kids be shielded from brutal US history?”, in The Guardian‎:
      “What we’re looking at is the classic slippery slope,” he said. “If the murals can be destroyed, then no work of art that anyone finds offensive is going to be safe. And that’s an awful lot of art.”
  2. (by extension) A logical fallacy in which a party asserts that a particular result will probably follow from a given decision or circumstance, without necessarily providing any rational argument for the likelihood of the assumed consequence.

Translations

See also

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia