kiss of death
noun phrase
: something (such as an act or association) ultimately causing ruin
The movie has a G rating, which is almost a kiss of death. Last year, fewer than 2% of new films were rated G, and nearly all of those were animated.—
Sports Illustrated
—usually used with theSports IllustratedNot long ago, when I proposed to my agent that she champion a book of mine as a work of literature instead of trying to present it as a "Sixties memoir," she told me, with a rueful laugh, that in publishing circles nowadays the "L" word is the kiss of death.—Joel Agee
Joel Agee… a faraway region whose populations are so deeply anti-Western that any government cooperation with America can be the kiss of death …—Alan Tonelson
Alan TonelsonExamples of kiss of death in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Leading Joeli to publish her first book on the topic in 2021, the focus on preventing motherhood being the kiss of death for your career has highlighted wider workplace concerns.
—Lauren Coulman, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Or, the theatrical kiss of death, an NC-17, eliminating play from most major exhibition chains.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024
Treating his family trauma with any gravity — by, say, diverging into a 20-minute flashback in the first act — is the kiss of death to whatever off-kilter momentum the movie manages to build.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
At least winning the SEC Tournament crown isn’t a total kiss of death.
—Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 14 Mar. 2024
The punctuation — thanks PERIOD — is a clear kiss of death for this relationship.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 15 July 2024
On the other, the risk of website crashes and inventory shortages can be the kiss of death for a business.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 12 Oct. 2024
Her show failing to properly heed her emotions, or her friends’ — now, that’s the true kiss of death.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
However, should Macron choose anyone remotely resembling a political ally from or allied with his centrist party, the very fact of his imprimatur could be the kiss of death.
—Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
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Lauren Coulman, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Or, the theatrical kiss of death, an NC-17, eliminating play from most major exhibition chains.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2024
Treating his family trauma with any gravity — by, say, diverging into a 20-minute flashback in the first act — is the kiss of death to whatever off-kilter momentum the movie manages to build.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 11 Dec. 2024
At least winning the SEC Tournament crown isn’t a total kiss of death.
—Blake Toppmeyer, The Tennessean, 14 Mar. 2024
The punctuation — thanks PERIOD — is a clear kiss of death for this relationship.
—Emma Soren, Vulture, 15 July 2024
On the other, the risk of website crashes and inventory shortages can be the kiss of death for a business.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 12 Oct. 2024
Her show failing to properly heed her emotions, or her friends’ — now, that’s the true kiss of death.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
However, should Macron choose anyone remotely resembling a political ally from or allied with his centrist party, the very fact of his imprimatur could be the kiss of death.
—Lee Hockstader, Washington Post, 24 July 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Kiss of death.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kiss%20of%20death. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
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