snake pit

noun

1
dated : a hospital for the mentally ill
2
: a place or state of chaotic disorder and distress

Examples of snake pit in a Sentence

finally managed to crawl out of the snake pit of her drug addiction
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The film is imbued with a satirical tone that portrays Argentinian society as being a snake pit of corruption and violence. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 29 Aug. 2024 But as television has become more varied and ambitious across the streaming era, Curb has remained reliable in its formula, cataloguing the social improprieties and conversational snake pits that make up modern life. Larry Fitzmaurice, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024 By imagining a snake pit of twisting, interlocking, hollow metal tubes. Erica Huang, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024 At its worst, the comment section could be a bit of an echo chamber nestled inside a snake pit. Erin Gloria Ryan, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for snake pit 

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of snake pit was in 1946

Dictionary Entries Near snake pit

Cite this Entry

“Snake pit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snake%20pit. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!