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
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.
Aaron Boone's team is in a downward spiral right now, and there's no obvious fix. Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Aug. 2025 Effectively, the company has been in a downward spiral ever since, and even with the change of leadership in June 2024 when Cramer stepped in and then-CEO Ryan Vero stepped down, the damage was done. Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025 Then, in midtown Manhattan on Monday, Tamura’s apparent downward spiral reached a horrific climax. Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 30 July 2025 Unfortunately, most choose the latter, contributing even more to the downward spiral. Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for downward spiral

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Downward spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downward%20spiral. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

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!