ratchet effect

noun

An instance of the restrained ability of human processes to be reversed once a specific thing has happened.

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Meanings

nounratchet effect (plural ratchet effects)

plural ratchet effects

  1. An instance of the restrained ability of human processes to be reversed once a specific thing has happened.
  2. USdefinitegovernmentA political process in the two-party system that, when Republican politicians are in power, they implement conservative policies, but when Democratic politicians hold power, they implement few to no progressive policies, leading to a status quo that only becomes more conservative despite the election of Democratic leaders.
Cite this entry
APA

ratchet effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ratchet%20effect

MLA

“ratchet effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ratchet%20effect. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ratchet effect,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ratchet%20effect.

Source: ratchet effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.