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

That disappointment could be heard in many offices as there was hope for Disney to finally break the glass ceiling with its first female CEO. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026

Ultimately, the outcome was the same, with D’Amaro named Disney CEO this morning, and the glass ceiling for a woman becoming CEO — and the top executive — of a major media company remains unbroken. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 3 Feb. 2026

The more qualified candidates, the more Weaver’s the NFL creates, the better chance the next Mike Tomlin has of breaking through the glass ceiling. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2026

Costa, 47, has broken new ground for women in states where their rights are restricted (Qatar and Iran), made a controversial principled stand, won a European trophy with Oliver Glasner and shattered glass ceilings at every turn. —Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for glass ceiling

• annealing
• appealing
• concealing
• congealing
• freewheeling
• repealing
• revealing
• unfeeling
• dealing
• feeling
• healing
• heeling

Kids Definition

glass ceiling

noun

: an informal limit to how high a position women and minorities can earn in a company