slippery slope

noun

: a course of action that seems to lead inevitably from one action or result to another with unintended consequences

Examples of slippery slope in a Sentence

His behavior will lead him down a slippery slope to ruin.

Recent Examples on the Web

Many critics fear a slippery slope that would deter innovation in California more broadly by targeting wealthy people who aren’t billionaires. —Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2026

Housing security Experts, meanwhile, have warned that BNPL can be a slippery slope that can end up pushing consumers further into debt — an issue that could pose bigger risks when dealing with monthly rent. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026

Tackling themes of free will, the slippery slope of police surveillance, and more, the film raises potent questions on our technological future while also delivering as a pulse-pounding thriller. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026

Once common all over the continent, the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is on a slippery slope towards extinction. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slippery slope

• electroscope
• heliotrope
• kaleidoscope
• laryngoscope
• ophthalmoscope
• oscilloscope
• polariscope
• stereoscope
• antelope
• bronchoscope
• cantaloupe
• cystoscope