Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thucydides trap

/θjuːˈsɪdɪdiːz tɹæp/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.36 in modern English

Syllables
thucy-dides -trap
IPA
/θjuːˈsɪdɪdiːz tɹæp/
26
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.

Example Sentences

Etymology

An allusion to the ancient Athenian historian and military general Thucydides, who posited that the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta had been inevitable because of Spartan fears of the growth of Athenian power. Coined by American political scientist Graham T. Allison.

Inflected Forms

Thucydides traps (plural) Thucydides' trap (alternative)

Questions

How do you pronounce thucydides trap?
The recorded pronunciation is /θjuːˈsɪdɪdiːz tɹæp/.
What does thucydides trap mean?
An apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
Where does thucydides trap come from?
An allusion to the ancient Athenian historian and military general Thucydides, who posited that the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta had been inevitable because of Spartan fears of the growth of Athenian power. Coined by American political scientist Graham T. Allison.

How to pronounce thucydides trap

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