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halo effect

American  

noun

  1. a predisposition to admire all of a person's actions, work, etc., because of an estimable quality or action in the past.

  2. Psychology. a potential inaccuracy in observation, as of a person, due to overgeneralization from a limited amount of evidence or the influence of preconceived beliefs or a priori hypotheses.

    The assumption that he is an authority on the subject is a halo effect of his Ivy League manner.

  3. any desirable side effect.


halo effect British  

noun

  1. See horns and halo effect

  2. the beneficial effect on sales of a company's range of products produced by the popularity or high profile of one particular product

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of halo effect

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

See Examples For:

And if growing excitement doesn’t qualify as an investment, investors should at least know who could be affected by the SpaceX halo effect.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

A similar halo effect has lifted the entire chip sector, including Advanced Micro Devices, Micron Technology and Sandisk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

“That level of care is what will create a halo effect for our entire brand.”

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025

He said the platform had a "positive impact on the high street at large" as a "halo effect" often touched businesses who found that products trending on TikTok then became popular in high street stores.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2025

Whenever that halo effect happened, I wanted to stare at her until the sunlight stopped, but my heart stopped before the light did.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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