self-reinforcing
adjective
self-re·in·forc·ing
ˌself-ˌrē-ən-ˈfȯr-siŋ
: 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
Michael RothschildJust as many negative behaviors are self-reinforcing, we often view related positive behaviors as more trouble than they're worth.—Colleen Dunn Bates
Colleen Dunn BatesExamples of self-reinforcing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This creates a self-reinforcing cycle that builds organizational strength from the ground up.
—Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 18 July 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
The process creates a self-reinforcing loop: action to evidence to belief to more action.
—Peter Accettura, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
The report concludes that several steps meant to address a small instability made matters worse, eventually leading to a self-reinforcing cascade where high voltages caused power plants to drop off the grid, thereby increasing the voltage further.
—ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025
This created a self-reinforcing bubble in which the top talent was all concentrated in the same place; this, in turn, supported an informal apprenticeship system under which younger crew members learned on the job, providing a steady influx of skilled labor.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 3 June 2025
These mechanisms can lead to emotional decompensation (as a form of compensatory refuge) and self-reinforcing cycles (withdrawal-like phenomena).
—Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
The property tax is also 'self-reinforcing,' meaning as local services improve, property valuations increase.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
Locke argued that the dominate narrative of a worldwide mental health crisis creates a self-reinforcing feedback loop.
—Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
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Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 18 July 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
The process creates a self-reinforcing loop: action to evidence to belief to more action.
—Peter Accettura, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
The report concludes that several steps meant to address a small instability made matters worse, eventually leading to a self-reinforcing cascade where high voltages caused power plants to drop off the grid, thereby increasing the voltage further.
—ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025
This created a self-reinforcing bubble in which the top talent was all concentrated in the same place; this, in turn, supported an informal apprenticeship system under which younger crew members learned on the job, providing a steady influx of skilled labor.
—Lane Brown, Vulture, 3 June 2025
These mechanisms can lead to emotional decompensation (as a form of compensatory refuge) and self-reinforcing cycles (withdrawal-like phenomena).
—Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
The property tax is also 'self-reinforcing,' meaning as local services improve, property valuations increase.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
Locke argued that the dominate narrative of a worldwide mental health crisis creates a self-reinforcing feedback loop.
—Eric Wood, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-reinforcing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-reinforcing. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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