self-fulfilling prophecy
Americannoun
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a prediction, whether founded or unfounded, that is ultimately confirmed because the very act of foretelling it influences behaviors and perceptions in ways that ultimately bring it about.
Etymology
Origin of self-fulfilling prophecy
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is an “identity contingency” that plays out “whenever we’re in a situation where a bad stereotype about one of our own identities could be applied to us,” potentially becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Federal Reserve policymakers are especially intent on keeping longer-run inflation expectations in check, given their concerns that rising inflation expectations among consumers could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
That is an important reassurance for Federal Reserve officials, who often worry that widespread concerns about future inflation can twist consumer behavior and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From BBC
“A high vacancy rate is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said Dr. Stuart Bussey, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which represents about 1,300 state psychiatrists.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
