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
Their affair sends the already-shaky state of affairs into a downward spiral, and Lidia blames both Boa’s leadership and Yovani’s selfishness for her mother’s demise.
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Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025
For his part, Paul reportedly wasn’t speaking to Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue for several weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, and had clashed with management and members of the coaching staff and squad due to differing views on how to manage the downward spiral of the team.
—Patrick Sung, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
That system creates a downward spiral, Hayden said.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 11 Nov. 2025
However, after a three-game skid ending with a surprising 22-21 loss to Northwestern, Penn State fired head coach James Franklin and has been on a downward spiral ever since.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downward spiral
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Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025
For his part, Paul reportedly wasn’t speaking to Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue for several weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, and had clashed with management and members of the coaching staff and squad due to differing views on how to manage the downward spiral of the team.
—Patrick Sung, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
That system creates a downward spiral, Hayden said.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 11 Nov. 2025
However, after a three-game skid ending with a surprising 22-21 loss to Northwestern, Penn State fired head coach James Franklin and has been on a downward spiral ever since.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downward spiral
Cite this Entry
“Downward spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/downward%20spiral. Accessed 25 Dec. 2025.
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