downward spiral

noun

: a situation in which something continuously decreases or gets worse

Her life was in a downward spiral as she battled depression and addiction.

Examples of downward spiral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Cars were still given as parting gifts for retired employees, and hundreds of thousands of dollars continued to be spent on promotional events and videos — all while membership continued its downward spiral and the union’s pension fund struggled to stay afloat. —Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2024

After Chili's twin sister, Jellybean, was found dead in a Kansas City flophouse, Chili began a downward spiral and was eventually caught drinking on the job by Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer). —Breanne L. Heldman, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024

Aquarius January 20 – February 18 Don’t think yourself into a downward spiral. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2024

Inside America’s Prisons and Jails Failures in Mental Health: The downward spiral of one inmate, Markus Johnson, shows the larger failures of American prisons to care for the mentally ill. —Christopher Damien, New York Times, 18 May 2024

Then again, the whole movie is designed as a (deceptive) downward spiral. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2024

Although its dire financial situation isn’t the result of a single misstep, executives at the company that owns a large stake in the chain, as well as industry experts, said that miscalculations over the popularity of the all-you-can-eat shrimp special accelerated the company’s downward spiral. —Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024

The suspects were charged and McIntyre testified at their trial, an agonizing experience that her mother said sent her on a downward spiral. —Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024

The downward spiral of one inmate, Markus Johnson, shows the larger failures of the nation’s prisons to care for the mentally ill. Credit... —Glenn Thrush Carlos Javier Ortiz, New York Times, 5 May 2024