blind alley

blind al·ley

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [blahynd al-ee]
- /blaɪnd ˈæl i/
- /blaɪnd ˈæl.i/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [blahynd al-ee]
- /blaɪnd ˈæl i/

Definitions of blind alley words

countable noun blind alley If you describe a situation as a blind alley, you mean that progress is not possible or that the situation can have no useful results. 3
noun blind alley an alley open at one end only; cul-de-sac 3
noun blind alley a situation in which no further progress can be made 3
noun blind alley an alley or passage shut off at one end 3
noun blind alley any undertaking, idea, etc. that leads to nothing 3
noun blind alley a road, alley, etc., that is open at only one end. 1

See all 11 definitions of blind alley

Information block about the term

Origin of blind alley

First appearance:

before 1575

One of the 34% oldest English words

First recorded in 1575-85

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Blind alley

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Blind alley

blind alley popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 42% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

blind alley usage trend in Literature

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Synonyms for blind alley

noun blind alley

cul-de-sac — A cul-de-sac is a short road which is closed off at one end.
impasse — a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.
tangent — in immediate physical contact; touching.
blank wall — an impassable barricade or obstacle; a situation in which further progress is impossible: Attempts to get information by questioning the neighbors ran into a blank wall.

All 4 Synonyms of blind alley