strange loop

American

[streynj loop] / ˈstreɪndʒ ˈlup /

noun

Logic, Mathematics. a phenomenon created by the presence of self-referential statements in a complex logical or mathematical system, which renders the system incapable of proving all of the true statements it produces.
a speculative model of how the self emerges as the source of thought, operating seemingly in a closed loop of its own mental representations of reality, while at the same time, paradoxically, being grounded in and generated from a purely physical loop of neurons and stimuli.

Etymology

Origin of strange loop

First recorded in 1960–65 as a phenomenon in physics

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.

For “Complications in Sue,” which finished a world-premiere run on Sunday at the Academy of Music, Mr. Costanzo invited some outsiders into the opera tent: the composer and playwright Michael R. Jackson, best known for the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical “A Strange Loop,” as librettist, and the trans cabaret artist Justin Vivian Bond, who had the original idea for “Sue,” as the star.

From The Wall Street Journal

Speilberg's Grammy gong will sit nicely alongside his Oscar ornaments won for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, his Emmys for ER and Animaniacs, as well as his Tony trophy for A Strange Loop.

From BBC

He won a Tony for producing the musical "A Strange Loop."

From Barron's

The production, directed by Stephen Brackett, who was nominated for a Tony for his staging of “A Strange Loop,” features an egg-like object on Arnulfo Maldonado’s set.

From Los Angeles Times

But Gretchen is stuck in a strange loop, unable to escape this place and becoming increasingly battered in the process.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023