Definitions

1. noun

a sword of Damocles is an idiom for a constant threat or a source of anxiety; Damocles is also used to describe a person with a great amount of power or influence accompanied by a constant sense of fear or anxiety.

“The CEO’s position was a sword of Damocles, always looking over their shoulder, waiting for the board of directors to make a move against them.”

2. proper noun

Damocles, a ancient Greek servant who was given the task by King Dionysius to sit on a throne with a sword suspended above it by a hair, as a means of demonstrating the king’s power and the constant threat of death.

“In history class, we learned about the story of Damocles and the sword suspended above his head.”