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

Procrastinators tend to be more stressed than other people—even before they start procrastinating. According to a recent study, that's possibly because they have self-defeating thoughts like, "I'm simply too stupid to benefit from more studying, so I'll just hang out on Facebook."

—Shana Lebowitz

Examples of self-defeating in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These self-defeating maneuvers freed the ANC to form a coalition with the DA, which won nearly 22 percent of the votes and 87 seats in Parliament, giving the unity government well over a majority. —Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post, 19 June 2024

The Price of Nostalgia America’s self-defeating economic retreat. —James K. Galbraith, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024

His participation in The Jinx seems to follow the same strange, self-defeating pattern. —Ester Bloom, Vulture, 19 Apr. 2024

Many adults, Gaines believes, are plagued by their self-defeating thoughts. —Anna Halkidis, Parents, 8 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

self-defeating

adjective

self-de·​feat·​ing

ˌself-di-ˈfēt-iŋ

: acting to defeat its own purpose