greylintel
/ˈɡreɪˌlɪntəl/nounVerified NewThe invisible barrier above which older workers are not hired or promoted, whatever their record.
The CV stops getting calls at fifty-five; the promotion goes to the "high-potential" candidate twenty years younger. Unlike a glass ceiling, the greylintel is load-bearing for everyone above it and invisible to those who have not reached it.
Etym. — grey (hair) + lintel (the beam over a doorway): a threshold you pass under, not through.
Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08
review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-3-04-work.md
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