Phrase guide

the nail that sticks out gets hammered down

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

Those who are too different or conspicuous get criticized or sanctioned by others.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque of Japanese 出る釘は打たれる (deru kugi wa utareru)

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 樹大招風 /树大招风 (shùdàzhāofēng) — Translations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 槍打出頭鳥 /枪打出头鸟 (qiāng dǎ chūtóuniǎo) — Translations
  • French: le clou qui dépasse se prend le marteau — Translations
  • German: vorstehende Nägel werden eingeschlagen — Translations
  • German: wer den Kopf zu weit aus dem Loch steckt, kann ihn leicht verlieren — Translations
  • Japanese: 出る杭は打たれる (deru kui wa utareru) — Translations
  • Korean: 모난 돌이 정 맞는다 (monan dor-i jeong manneunda) — Translations
  • Polish: wystający gwóźdź trzeba wbić — Translations
  • Portuguese: prego que se destaca, leva martelada — Translations