MEANING
An opportunity, position or reward that seems desirable but turns out to harm the person receiving it.
Use it for
describing a promotion that carries hidden dangers; showing an attractive offer with damaging consequences; evaluating a prestigious but hazardous appointment; contrasting apparent reward with the burden it bringsIdentifies a desirable-looking opportunity or reward that harms the person who accepts it. Writing functions: Harmful apparent opportunity.
Words that belong together
- a promotion that is a poisoned chalice
- accept a poisoned chalice
On the page
The prestigious appointment became a poisoned chalice when she inherited debts she had no authority to resolve.
Winning control of the failing project looked less like a reward than a poisoned chalice.
Word forms
- Base
- poisoned chalice
Usage notes
Idiomatic noun phrase: a poisoned chalice; plural poisoned chalices when discussing distinct opportunities. Often singular. Register: neutral. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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