self-fulfilling

American  

[self-fool-fil-ing] / ˈsɛlf fʊlˈfɪl ɪŋ /

adjective

1. characterized by or bringing about self-fulfillment.

2. happening or brought about as a result of being foretold, expected, or talked about.

   a self-fulfilling prophecy.

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self-fulfilling British  

adjective

1. (of an opinion or prediction) borne out because it is expected to be true or to happen

   a self-fulfilling prophecy

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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

If they come to expect rising inflation, sometimes higher inflation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 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

And if Americans start to expect higher inflation because of elevated oil costs, central bankers fear that those expectations could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 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