thin edge of the wedge

A form of thin end of the wedge — Something that if allowed or accepted to a small degree would lead to systematic encroachment.

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Meanings

noun
  1. alternativeAlternative form of thin end of the wedge.

    But at last the thin edge of the wedge of reform had been pushed in.

    1903, Albert Shaw, The American Monthly Review of Reviews, page 196
    2 more examples

    But the great difficulty was the getting in the thin edge of the wedge; when once they had anything to do with price they must apply it to everything.

    1877, The Analyst, page 381

    the thin edge of the wedge was further widened by the fact that a socialist party [...] broke precedent [...].

    1996, Dale Belman et al., Public Sector Employment in a Time of Transition, page 247

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
slippery slope
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“thin edge of the wedge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thin%20edge%20of%20the%20wedge. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thin edge of the wedge,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thin%20edge%20of%20the%20wedge.

Source: thin edge of the wedge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.