self-fulfilling prophecy
Americannoun
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a prediction, whether founded or unfounded, that is ultimately confirmed because the very act of foretelling it influences behaviors and perceptions in ways that ultimately bring it about.
Etymology
Origin of self-fulfilling prophecy
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Economists and Federal Reserve officials watch long-run inflation expectation measures to ensure price pressures don’t become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
One knock-on effect might be that farmers plant less for fear of losing crops to a strong El Niño, making its impact on ag commodity prices a self-fulfilling prophecy, Marex says.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 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
This is an “identity contingency” that plays out “whenever we’re in a situation where a bad stereotype about one of our own identities could be applied to us,” potentially becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
Some of them truly believed that if they wrote to her, she would come, as if it were a self-fulfilling prophecy.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
