# square peg in a round hole

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/square-peg-in-a-round-hole
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Someone or something that does not fit well or at all in a certain setting; a misfit; hence, someone or something that will not succeed in an endeavour, except possibly with much effort and force.

## Examples

- He feels like a square peg in a round hole at his new job.
- The creative artist felt like a square peg in a round hole while working in the strict, numbers-focused accounting firm.
- Trying to use this old software on a modern computer is like putting a square peg in a round hole because the systems are simply not compatible.
- Despite his best efforts to conform to the rigid expectations of the academy, he remained a square peg in a round hole, forever alienated by its narrow traditions.

## Origin

Commonly associated with a shape sorter, a baby toy that consists of (often wooden) pegs that need to be inserted through holes in a box, using the hole that has the same shape as the peg. While all the shapes are of roughly equal size, each peg will only fit in the hole that has the same shape. Inserting a peg in a different hole would require either modifying or breaking the toy.

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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.