self-defeating
[self-di-fee-ting, self-]
- serving to frustrate, thwart, etc., one's own intention or interests: His behavior was certainly self-defeating.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for self-defeating
Contemporary Examples
It would seem like a self-defeating move for a government contractor to become a tax exile.
Even that most fundamental American activity of pursuing happiness can become a self-defeating drive.
This isn't a policy in any coherent sense of that word; it's an artifact of resentment, a self-defeating relic from another era.
From a clinical point of view, Dr. Foehl opined, this behavior would be labeled as a “self-defeating personality disorder.”
I believe absolutely and positively that violence is self-defeating.
Historical Examples
Born of crass ignorance and self-defeating greed, it cannot bear the light.
No, it would be self-defeating folly to make Wagner appear less in order to have Strauss appear more.
How to Appreciate MusicGustav Kobb
Piecemeal operations within each lesser drainage area can be self-defeating or, at the very least, needlessly expensive.
Not only would such an attempt involve impossible inquiries, but the attempt would be self-defeating.
Social Rights And DutiesLeslie Stephen
self-defeating
- (of a plan, action, etc) unable to achieve the intended result
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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