self-defeating

adjective

self-de·​feat·​ing ˌself-di-ˈfē-tiŋ 

-dē-

: serving or tending to defeat oneself or itself : counterproductive: such as

a

: acting to defeat its own purpose

a self-defeating argument

You kind of realize that violence can be a self-defeating strategy, because it just gives the other guy an incentive to attack you back in revenge.

—Stephen Pinker

b

: being or involving an attitude of defeatism

When [Lilia] Vu missed the cut in four of her next five starts … she knew the problem wasn't the clubs in her bag or flaws in her technique. The obstacle was the self-defeating thoughts that dominated her mind and eroded her confidence.

—Helene Elliott

Examples of self-defeating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The result is a self-defeating race to the bottom, in which firms cut prices below cost, accept razor-thin or negative margins, and continue building to chase greater market share. — Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026

The program’s final years—from institutional life support through its 18-month postmortem—offer a revealing case study in the challenges and self-defeating dynamics that have emerged for a growing number of non-revenue college sports teams. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026

This is all nonsensical, self-defeating, masochistic behavior. — CNBC, 27 May 2026

Address self-defeating mindsets when the moon opposes Chiron. — Usa Today, USA Today, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-defeating

• overeating
• overheating
• superheating
• accreting
• competing
• completing
• concreting
• defeating
• deleting
• depleting
• entreating
• preheating

Kids Definition

self-defeating

adjective

self-de·​feat·​ing

ˌself-di-ˈfēt-iŋ

: acting to defeat its own purpose