self-reinforcing

adjective

self-re·​in·​forc·​ing
ˌself-ˌrē-ən-ˈfȯr-siŋ
 How to pronounce self-reinforcing (audio)
: tending or serving to strengthen itself : reinforcing itself
According to this thinking, a self-reinforcing feedback loop—bigger brains, better tools, more food—drove forward the process of human evolution.Michael Rothschild
Just as many negative behaviors are self-reinforcing, we often view related positive behaviors as more trouble than they're worth.Colleen Dunn Bates

Examples of self-reinforcing 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.
But if businesses start to increase layoffs, then that'll set off a kind of self-reinforcing vicious cycle—layoffs, less spending, less spending, more layoffs. Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025 Together, the Holocaust and Israel provided a self-reinforcing narrative of Jewish history, Jewish identity, and Jewish destiny. Daniel May, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 If managed carefully, this could accelerate development cycles and give OpenAI a self-reinforcing advantage in model training. Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025 What makes this phenomenon particularly compelling is its self-reinforcing nature. Ascend Agency, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2025 The fake profiles operated as a self-reinforcing cluster, with bots boosting one another’s posts to simulate grassroots consensus, the report said, and sought to amplify polarizing messages within British political discourse while promoting Iran as a model of unity and resistance. Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-reinforcing was in 1884

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Cite this Entry

“Self-reinforcing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-reinforcing. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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