-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
glass ceiling
noun
: an intangible barrier within a hierarchy that prevents women or minorities from obtaining upper-level positions
Examples of glass ceiling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hillary Clinton's speech talking about Kamala finally breaking the glass ceiling.
—Leah Feiger, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2024
Breaking The Glass Ceiling Several remarkable women have successfully broken through the glass ceiling in finance, setting new standards for leadership and achievement.
—Anushree Jain, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
Hence, her breaking of this particular glass ceiling was viewed less as a move toward gender equity and more as an example of professional overreach.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2024
South Korea has the worst gender wage gap in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and has bottomed out the Economist’s glass ceiling index, which measures the role and influence of women in the work force, for more than a decade.
—Gawon Bae, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for glass ceiling
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glass ceiling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1984, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near glass ceiling
Cite this Entry
“Glass ceiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glass%20ceiling. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
glass ceiling
noun
: an informal limit to how high a position women and minorities can earn in a company
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share