Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun blind_alley

2 senses of blind alley

Sense 1
blind alley, cul de sac, dead-end street, impasse -- (a street with only one way in or out)
       => thoroughfare -- (a public road from one place to another)

Sense 2
blind alley -- ((figurative) a course of action that is unproductive and offers no hope of improvement; "all the clues led the police into blind alleys"; "so far every road that we've been down has turned out to be a blind alley")
       => course, course of action -- (a mode of action; "if you persist in that course you will surely fail"; "once a nation is embarked on a course of action it becomes extremely difficult for any retraction to take place")