A golden hammer is any tool, technology, paradigm, snake oil, buzzword or similar whose proponents enthusiastically sing its praises. They predict that it will solve multiple problems, including some for which it is obviously not suitable. Likewise, a literal golden hammer looks highly impressive but is practically useless, as gold is a relatively soft and heavy metal.

The phrase "When you have a big enough hammer, everything starts to look like a nail" is similar to the concept of a golden hammer; once you have a tool that works for one task, you want to use it for everything just because it's available.

The antonym term for golden hammer is "using the right tool for the job," which itself can be a golden hammer.

See also

• Greedy reductionism
• Proselyte
• Silver bullet
• Panacea
• Glossyware

Metaphors | Anti-patterns | English phrases

Martillo de Oro | Den gyllene hammaren