Meanings
proper noun
- The axiom that "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".
Synonyms: golden hammer
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounThe axiom that "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".
Similar
Origin
Attributed to Abraham Maslow, who wrote about it in the 1960s.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Maslow's hammer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maslow's%20hammer
MLA
“Maslow's hammer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maslow's%20hammer. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Maslow's hammer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maslow's%20hammer.
Source: Maslow's hammer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.