Meaning of tall poppy syndrome | Babel Free

Definitions

The tendency to disparage conspicuously successful people.

Australia, New-Zealand, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“One of Australia′s healthiest national traits is the Tall Poppy Syndrome, which involves taking a sceptical view of people who are rich, powerful or successful, and cutting them down to size when they appear pretentious.”

“Interestingly, the media in the United States are least prone to the tall poppy syndrome, which is one of the many things I admire about America.”

“For Allan Scott, one of the ironies of owning a media outlet or being a business success is he becomes a target for other media, a potential victim of the tall poppy syndrome.”

“The extracts coded as indicative of the tall poppy syndrome reflect the deeply rooted nature of this phenomenon, identified by Feather (1994a) and other researchers. The syndrome is often moderated by other Australian characteristics, and reinforces the enigma of Australian leadership.”

“Speaking of bullying, a few years later in Society and Culture class I wrote an essay, agreeing with the statement that the tall poppy syndrome was alive and well in Australia.”

CEFR level