Definitions for sword of Damocles
sword of damo·cles

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sword of Damoclesnoun

   a constant and imminent peril

   "the possibility hangs over their heads like the sword of Damocles"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sword of Damoclesnoun

   A thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune.

2. Etymology: From the following story:

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sword of damocles

   Damocles is a character who appears in an (likely apocryphal) anecdote commonly referred to as "the sword of Damocles", an allusion to the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. Damocles was a courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a 4th-century BC ruler of Syracuse, Sicily. The anecdote apparently figured in the lost history of Sicily by Timaeus of Tauromenium (c. 356 – c. 260 BC). The Roman orator Cicero (c. 106 – c. 43 BC) may have read it in the texts of Greek historian Diodorus Siculus and used it in his Tusculanae Disputationes, 5. 61, by which means it passed into the European cultural mainstream.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sword of damocles

   The Sword of Damocles is a term derived from a famous anecdote in ancient Greek literature, and today it is used to refer to a situation in which someone is in a position of power, success or luck, but the threat of danger or failure is always looming. The term derives from the story of Damocles, a courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, who was allowed to sit on the king's throne only to look up and see a sharp sword hanging above his head by a single horse hair, illustrating the constant fear and insecurity hidden beneath the ostensible benefits of being a ruler.

Matched Categories

1. • Hazard

How to pronounce sword of Damocles?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

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   Mark

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   Daniel

   British

   Libby

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   Mia

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   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

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   Natasha

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   Neerja

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   Zira

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   Oliver

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   Wendy

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   Fred

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   Tessa

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How to say sword of Damocles in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of sword of Damocles in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of sword of Damocles in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of sword of Damocles in a Sentence

1. Angela Merkel:

   We are happy to negotiate, but it mustn't be under a sword of Damocles.

2. Andrew Tabler:

   Having a sword of Damocles having over Assad's head is not necessarily a bad thing.

3. Josh Matz:

   A lot of folks think that impeachment is this mechanical process and that when the president commits high crimes and misdemeanors, [ it ] just falls out of the sky like some kind of sword of Damocles, i'm here to tell you that it doesn't. Congress has to decide whether impeachment is the right move.

4. Rafael Molina:

   It was done with the sword of Damocles hanging over them.

5. Seth Kretzer:

   What the Respondents really seek is to hold a Sword of Damocles over Pastor Moore during this execution.

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=sword of Damocles
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sword_of_Damocles
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sword_of_Damocles
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com