diff --git a/src/lib/abstracthighlighter.cpp b/src/lib/abstracthighlighter.cpp
--- a/src/lib/abstracthighlighter.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/abstracthighlighter.cpp
@@ -139,8 +139,10 @@
 
     // process empty lines
     if (text.isEmpty()) {
-        while (!stateData->topContext()->lineEmptyContext().isStay())
-            d->switchContext(stateData, stateData->topContext()->lineEmptyContext(), QStringList());
+        while (!stateData->topContext()->lineEmptyContext().isStay()) {
+            if (!d->switchContext(stateData, stateData->topContext()->lineEmptyContext(), QStringList()))
+                break;
+        }
         auto context = stateData->topContext();
         applyFormat(0, 0, context->attributeFormat());
         return newState;
@@ -304,20 +306,18 @@
 
 bool AbstractHighlighterPrivate::switchContext(StateData *data, const ContextSwitch &contextSwitch, const QStringList &captures)
 {
-    for (int i = 0; i < contextSwitch.popCount(); ++i) {
-        // don't pop the last context if we can't push one
-        if (data->size() == 1 && !contextSwitch.context())
-            return false;
-        if (data->size() == 0)
-            break;
-        data->pop();
-    }
+    // kill as many items as requested from the stack, will always keep the initial context alive!
+    const bool initialContextSurvived = data->pop(contextSwitch.popCount());
 
-    if (contextSwitch.context())
+    // if we have a new context to add, push it
+    // then we always "succeed"
+    if (contextSwitch.context()) {
         data->push(contextSwitch.context(), captures);
+        return true;
+    }
 
-    Q_ASSERT(!data->isEmpty());
-    return true;
+    // else we abort, if we did try to pop the initial context
+    return initialContextSurvived;
 }
 
 void AbstractHighlighter::applyFolding(int offset, int length, FoldingRegion region)
diff --git a/src/lib/state.cpp b/src/lib/state.cpp
--- a/src/lib/state.cpp
+++ b/src/lib/state.cpp
@@ -58,9 +58,18 @@
     m_contextStack.push_back(qMakePair(context, captures));
 }
 
-void StateData::pop()
+bool StateData::pop(int popCount)
 {
-    m_contextStack.pop_back();
+    // nop if nothing to pop
+    if (popCount <= 0) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    // keep the initial context alive in any case
+    Q_ASSERT(!isEmpty());
+    const bool initialContextSurvived = m_contextStack.size() > popCount;
+    m_contextStack.resize(std::max(1, m_contextStack.size() - popCount));
+    return initialContextSurvived;
 }
 
 Context* StateData::topContext() const
diff --git a/src/lib/state_p.h b/src/lib/state_p.h
--- a/src/lib/state_p.h
+++ b/src/lib/state_p.h
@@ -52,7 +52,15 @@
     void clear();
     int size() const;
     void push(Context *context, const QStringList &captures);
-    void pop();
+
+    /**
+     * Pop the number of elements given from the top of the current stack.
+     * Will not pop the initial element.
+     * @param popCount number of elements to pop
+     * @return false if one has tried to pop the initial context, else true
+     */
+    bool pop(int popCount);
+
     Context* topContext() const;
     const QStringList &topCaptures() const;