Phrase guide

salami tactics

noun · 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

noun

Meaning 1

The piecemeal removal or scaling back of something (especially political opposition); a gradual attack on an opposing position, group, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-only

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque of Hungarian szalámitaktika, coined by Hungarian communist Mátyás Rákosi to describe the method, "cutting them off like slices of salami", by which the ruling Hungarian Working People's Party dealt with dissidents under his leadership.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 切香腸戰術 /切香肠战术 (qièxiāngcháng zhànshù) — piecemeal removal
  • Danish: salamitaktik — piecemeal removal
  • Finnish: salamitaktiikka — piecemeal removal
  • Finnish: viipalointitaktiikka — piecemeal removal
  • French: saucissonnage — piecemeal removal
  • French: tactique du salami — piecemeal removal
  • Georgian: სალიამის ტაქტიკა (saliamis ṭakṭiḳa) — piecemeal removal
  • German: Salamitaktik — piecemeal removal
  • Hungarian: szalámitaktika — piecemeal removal
  • Japanese: サラミ戦術 (sarami senjutsu) — piecemeal removal
  • Polish: taktyka salami — piecemeal removal
  • Swedish: salamitaktik — piecemeal removal
  • Vietnamese: chiến thuật cắt lát salami — piecemeal removal