Phrase guide

it's lonely at the top

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

proverb

Meaning 1

A highly successful person in a particular field will inevitably suffer from a feeling of isolation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 高處不勝寒 /高处不胜寒 (gāochù bùshèng hán) — highly successful person will suffer from isolation
  • Dutch: het is eenzaam aan de top — highly successful person will suffer from isolation
  • Finnish: huipulla on yksinäistä — highly successful person will suffer from isolation
  • German: an der Spitze ist es einsam — highly successful person will suffer from isolation
  • Polish: na szczycie jest samotnie — highly successful person will suffer from isolation
  • Thai: ยิ่งสูงยิ่งหนาว (yîng-sǔung-yîng-nǎao) — highly successful person will suffer from isolation