# road less traveled

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/road-less-traveled
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The less popular or less commonly taken option.

## Examples

- She chose the road less traveled for her career.
- You often find unique opportunities when you take the road less traveled.
- Instead of following the crowd to the popular resort, we took the road less traveled and found a quiet, hidden beach.
- While most students applied for office internships, he took the road less traveled by volunteering for a remote wildlife conservation project.
- The chef decided to take the road less traveled, serving traditional family recipes instead of following the current trend for fast food.
- By rejecting the conventional path of corporate success to pursue his art, he chose the road less traveled, finding a deeper sense of purpose in the uncertainty.

## Origin

Popularized from one interpretation of Robert Frost's 1915 poem *The Road Not Taken*. In the poem, the traveler notes that taking the road less traveled by has made all the difference, though the text suggests the two paths were worn really about the same. The phrase entered the wider English lexicon as a metaphor for unconventional choices, notwithstanding the poet's own irony regarding the traveler's self-justification.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.