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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
But in 1993, Yo-Yo seemed to be on the cusp of shattering the glass ceiling.
—Liz Sanchez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In other words, glass ceilings by design are elusive and subtle.
—Abiola Salami, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Fortunately, the glass ceiling continues to be shattered.
—Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 20 Mar. 2024
The discussions included what goes into creating live-action films from anime IP, bridging the gap between Chinese filmmakers and those in Europe and the U.S. and whether there is a glass ceiling for women in the Asian film industry.
—Caroline Brew, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024
For artists like Easterwood, the Crossroads District represented the glass ceiling that many Black artists have not gotten the chance to bust through.
—J.m. Banks, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
The broken rung is a relatively new term, while the glass ceiling dates back to the 1970s.
—Katy McFee, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Barbie and Working Girl both tell the story of women plunged into a world far outside their own reality, only to bump their heads against the glass ceiling of the patriarchy.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024
In a new interview, Ono describes the airtight glass ceilings she's broken during her 40-plus-year career at the food and beverage conglomerate.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
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
Articles Related to glass ceiling
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 5 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
glass ceiling
noun
: an informal limit to how high a position women and minorities can earn in a company
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