Meaning & use
downhill spiral
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Meaning
nounusually singularinformal
A situation that gets worse and worse, often quickly and without control.
Grammar: Usually used with 'a' or 'into a': The business went into a downhill spiral.
Patterns
- go into a downhill spiral
- be in a downhill spiral
- a downhill spiral of something
After the bad review, the restaurant went into a downhill spiral.
The country's economy entered a downhill spiral.
Losing his job started a downhill spiral that lasted for years.
Common combinations
- go into a downhill spiral
- The team went into a downhill spiral after losing its star player.
- a downhill spiral of
- The family faced a downhill spiral of debt and stress.
- start a downhill spiral
- One bad decision started a downhill spiral for the company.
Synonyms and how they differ
- downward spiral
- The more common and slightly more formal phrase with the same meaning; downhill spiral is more informal and vivid.
- decline
- Decline means a gradual loss of strength or quality, but it does not suggest the out-of-control feeling of a downhill spiral.
Opposites
Commonly confused: downhill spiral or downward spiral?
downhill spiral vs downward spiral
Downward spiral is the standard phrase; downhill spiral is a less formal variant. They mean the same thing.
Practice
After the manager left, the small business went into a ___ spiral and closed within a year.
Choose one answer.
A downhill spiral means things got worse and worse. Uphill and upward suggest improvement, and downstairs is about floors, not a worsening situation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “downhill spiral”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.