boiling frog
/ˈbɔɪlɪŋ ˌfɹɑɡ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.51 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "Environmental pollution and the overconsumption of nonreplenishable resources is the boiling frog syndrome of the 21st century."
- "You can guess what the politicians said back then, too. "Don't worry," I'll bet they claimed, "tax rates will never rise!" It's the Boiling Frog Syndrome all over again."
- "The greatest challenge to an accurate current self-image (that is, seeing yourself as others see you and in a way consistent with your other internal states, beliefs, emotions, and so forth) is the boiling frog syndrome. Several factors contribute to this syndrome. First, people around you may not let you see a change. They may not give you feedback or information about how they see it. Also, they may be victims of the boiling frog syndrome themselves, adjusting their perception daily."
- "The boiling frog syndrome portrays how people react to change. Dramatic sudden changes instigate resistance and even anger in many individuals. Conversely, people do well at adjusting to slow change that occurs over a long period of time."
- "DotCloud was a "boiling frog." That's how [Solomon] Hykes and early investor Peter Fenton of Benchmark now describe dotCloud as it struggled in 2012. Put a frog in water and gradually heat it, the folk legend goes, and the frog won't notice that it's being cooked until it's too late."
- "Look at Facebook: Every company moved their brand presence to Facebook, sending out messages for their customers to receive. Now, you have to pay to send out your messages to people who chose to follow you. [You’ve become] a boiling frog."
Etymology
From a widespread misconception describing a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ ˌfɹɑɡ/
- British English: /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ ˌfɹɒɡ/