chicken-and-egg

American  

[chik-uhn-uhn-eg, -uhnd-] / ˈtʃɪk ən ənˈɛg, -ənd- /

Also chicken-or-egg

adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a dilemma of which of two things came first or of which is the cause and which the effect.

   a chicken-and-egg question of whether matter or energy is the basis of the universe.

---

Etymology

Origin of chicken-and-egg

First recorded in 1955–60

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chicken-and-egg

That build-out attempts to solve a chicken-and-egg problem that has beguiled EVs since their earliest days: without adequate charging infrastructure, people won’t buy the cars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

Call it a solution to the chicken-and-egg problem.

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

Like the chicken-and-egg paradox, it’s hard to tell which comes first: the amenities surrounding the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Macroeconomists face their own version of the chicken-and-egg problem: Is spending driving employment, or is employment driving spending?

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2025

The process is infinitely recursive—the ultimate chicken-and-egg story.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---