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 an investing glass ceiling remains — CNBC’s Davis Giangiulio, Justin Papp, Dan Mangan, Kevin Breuninger, Garrett Downs, Sean Conlon, Lora Kolodny, Annika Kim Constantino, Angelica Peebles and Melissa Repko contributed to this report. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026

Now, the mission specialist is set to break the glass ceiling for women again during her second trip to space. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2026

The party was held in the building's new 13th floor event space — The Conservatory — notable for its expansive glass ceiling. —Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026

This year's new category, Best Casting, has already cracked the glass ceiling, with One Battle After Another's Cassandra Kulukundis prevailing. —Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 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