self-reinforcing

adjective

self-re·​in·​forc·​ing
ˌself-ˌrē-ən-ˈfȯr-siŋ
 How to pronounce self-reinforcing (audio)
: tending or serving to strengthen itself : reinforcing itself
According to this thinking, a self-reinforcing feedback loop—bigger brains, better tools, more food—drove forward the process of human evolution.Michael Rothschild
Just as many negative behaviors are self-reinforcing, we often view related positive behaviors as more trouble than they're worth.Colleen Dunn Bates

Examples of self-reinforcing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Taylor Swift has sped up a self-reinforcing cycle: More women are watching sports, so sports are doing more to welcome those new spectators, and therefore even more women are tuning in and showing up. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2024 When winning becomes the only thing that matters, unethical fighting becomes progressively more forceful in self-reinforcing ways. Ray Dalio, TIME, 25 June 2024 The danger is self-reinforcing, as the unlawful nature of many basement apartments, and all cellar apartments, makes tenants wary of rocking the boat with landlords or city authorities. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 May 2024 But within this self-reinforcing climate, there is simply now an easier path to escalatory conduct. Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 19 May 2023 That increase in demand causes the price to increase, which causes even more interest in a self-reinforcing cycle. Andrew R. Chow, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024 The group wants to discourage this self-reinforcing cycle of electing more and more extreme ends of the political spectrum. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Apr. 2024 Demographers have previously warned that once fertility rates fall beneath a certain threshold, lifting them becomes extremely difficult because of self-reinforcing economic and social mechanisms. Chad De Guzman, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024 These trends are now self-reinforcing as more installations mean more use cases, which generates more data, in turn driving wider applications, leading to yet more installations. Kevin O'Marah, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-reinforcing was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near self-reinforcing

Cite this Entry

“Self-reinforcing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-reinforcing. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!