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
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
Shana LebowitzExamples of self-defeating in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While nothing gets a marketer’s heart racing like the quixotic desire to overcome scarcity, the vanishing dollar demos should discourage this kind of self-defeating strategy.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 July 2025
The android, played by Alexander Skarsgård, is often fed up with humans and their illogical, self-defeating choices.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
This means recognizing that in the absence of a common enemy, any grand bargain Washington strikes is likely to be self-defeating, given that the enhanced security Beijing seeks in the region can only come from unilateral U.S. concessions.
—William Hurst, Foreign Affairs, 3 July 2025
Being coherent means adding up to one clear signal, rather than acting in confusing, self-defeating ways.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-defeating
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Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 July 2025
The android, played by Alexander Skarsgård, is often fed up with humans and their illogical, self-defeating choices.
—Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
This means recognizing that in the absence of a common enemy, any grand bargain Washington strikes is likely to be self-defeating, given that the enhanced security Beijing seeks in the region can only come from unilateral U.S. concessions.
—William Hurst, Foreign Affairs, 3 July 2025
Being coherent means adding up to one clear signal, rather than acting in confusing, self-defeating ways.
—Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-defeating
Cite this Entry
“Self-defeating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-defeating. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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