self-defeating prophecy

noun

A situation in which the occurrence of a predicted event becomes less likely by predicting the event.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounself-defeating prophecy (plural self-defeating prophecies)

plural self-defeating prophecies

  1. human sciencesA situation in which the occurrence of a predicted event becomes less likely by predicting the event.
Cite this entry
APA

self-defeating prophecy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-defeating%20prophecy

MLA

“self-defeating prophecy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-defeating%20prophecy. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-defeating prophecy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-defeating%20prophecy.

Source: self-defeating prophecy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.