Hofstadter's law

proper noun

The self-referential adage that a task always takes longer than expected, even when Hofstadter's law is taken into account.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The self-referential adage that a task always takes longer than expected, even when Hofstadter's law is taken into account.

Origin

Named after Douglas Hofstadter (1945–), who introduced it in his 1979 book Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French loi de Hofstadter
  • loi de Hofstadterself-referential adage
Cite this entry
APA

Hofstadter's law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hofstadter's%20law

MLA

“Hofstadter's law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hofstadter's%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Hofstadter's law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Hofstadter's%20law.

Source: Hofstadter's law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.