death by a thousand paper cuts

noun

An ultimate negative outcome, such as the failure of a project, brought about by an excessive number of bureaucratic hurdles.

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Meanings

noun

alternative death by a thousand papercuts

  1. idiomaticAn ultimate negative outcome, such as the failure of a project, brought about by an excessive number of bureaucratic hurdles.

Origin

Blend of death by a thousand cuts + paper cut. The "thousand cuts" of the original phrase are now inflicted by paper, a metonym for bureaucracy.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

death by a thousand paper cuts. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20by%20a%20thousand%20paper%20cuts

MLA

“death by a thousand paper cuts.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20by%20a%20thousand%20paper%20cuts. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “death by a thousand paper cuts,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20by%20a%20thousand%20paper%20cuts.

Source: death by a thousand paper cuts on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.