sword of Damocles

US/ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/

noun

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

OriginAncient Greek Δαμοκλῆς →
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Meanings

nounsword of Damocles (plural swords of Damocles)

plural swords of Damocles

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

    At some point the Sword of Damocles which hangs over all our railway operations will fall with catastrophic impact, just as it did at Hatfield in 2000.

    2023 June 28, Sir Michael Holden, “Comment: 'There will be more Nunehams'”, in RAIL, number 986, page 3
    1 more example

    Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation or by madness. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.

    1961 December 10, John F. Kennedy, quotee, “‘Sword of Damocles’ Popular These Days”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, page 22

Origin

  1. Ancient GreekΔαμοκλῆς
  2. Englishsword of Damocles

From the following story: Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste that fortune first-hand. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head, held only by a single horse-hair. Immediately, he lost all taste for the festivities and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the constant threat under which a powerful man lives. From Ancient Greek Δαμοκλῆς (Damoklês).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic سيف مسلت
  • سيف مسلتthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Bulgarian дамо́клев меч
  • дамо́клев меч (damóklev meč)thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Catalan espasa de Dàmocles
  • espasa de Dàmoclesthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Chinese Mandarin 達摩克利斯之劍 /达摩克利斯之剑
  • 達摩克利斯之劍 /达摩克利斯之剑 (Dámókèlìsī zhījiàn)thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Danish damoklessværd
  • damoklessværdthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Dutch zwaard van Damocles
  • zwaard van Damoclesthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Esperanto glavo de Damoklo
  • glavo de Damoklothing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Finnish Damokleen miekka
  • Damokleen miekkathing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
French épée de Damoclès
  • épée de Damoclèsthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
German Damoklesschwert
  • Damoklesschwertthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Greek Δαμόκλειος σπάθη
  • Δαμόκλειος σπάθη (Damókleios spáthi)thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Hebrew חרב דמוקלס
  • חרב דמוקלסthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Hungarian Damoklész kardja
  • Damoklész kardjathing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Italian spada di Damocle
  • spada di Damoclething or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Japanese ダモクレスの剣
  • ダモクレスの剣 (Damokuresu no ken)thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Norwegian Bokmål damoklessverd
  • damoklessverdthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Polish miecz Damoklesa
  • miecz Damoklesathing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Portuguese espada de Dâmocles
  • espada de Dâmoclesthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Russian дамо́клов меч
  • дамо́клов меч (damóklov meč)thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Spanish espada de Damocles
  • espada de Damoclesthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Swedish damoklessvärd
  • damoklessvärdthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Turkish Demokles'in kılıcı
  • Demokles'in kılıcıthing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
Cite this entry
APA

sword of Damocles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sword%20of%20Damocles

MLA

“sword of Damocles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sword%20of%20Damocles. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sword of Damocles,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sword%20of%20Damocles.

Source: sword of Damocles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.