self-fulfilling
Americanadjective
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characterized by or bringing about self-fulfillment.
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happening or brought about as a result of being foretold, expected, or talked about.
a self-fulfilling prophecy.
adjective
Usage
What does self-fulfilling prophecy mean? A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that causes itself to be true due to the behavior (including the act of predicting it) of the believer. Self-fulling, here, means “brought about as a result of being foretold or talked about,” while prophecy refers to the prediction.
Etymology
Origin of self-fulfilling
First recorded in 1950–55
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.
The U.S. team’s history of underachievement has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026
While the first autism studies in the 1940s did include a small cohort of girls, the condition appeared to be more prevalent in boys and the gender divide became a "self-fulfilling prophecy".
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
If they come to expect rising inflation, sometimes higher inflation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
In that way, the race seems to be shaping up as less a competition than a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
“Delphine, do you know what a self-fulfilling prophecy is?”
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
