runaway effect
Self-amplifying feedback loop
A runaway effect is a process that accelerates itself, where initial changes trigger further changes in the same direction.
The term appears in climate science runaway greenhouse effect, economics, and technology contexts.
Once a runaway effect begins, it becomes increasingly difficult to stop or reverse: The bank run created a runaway effect as more withdrawals sparked more panic.
- cascadeSuccessive downward flow
- snowballCompressed winter precipitation
- spiralCurve winding around center
- death spiralSelf-worsening loop toward ruin
- feedbackReturned response data
amplification · tipping point · acceleration · chain reaction · vicious cycle · exponential · domino effect · avalanche · going viral · escalation · slippery slope · momentum · uncontrollable · threshold · point of no return · collapse · warming · meltdown
runaway effectnegative feedback
Response indicating problems
diminishing returns · restoring force · attenuation · damping
runaway effectstable equilibrium
Self-correcting balanced state
homeostasis · steady state · dynamic equilibrium · self-regulation · stability
runaway effectdecay
Gradual organic breakdown
attenuation · deceleration · tapering off · gradual decline · diminishment
runaway, run, away, running, runs, ran, runner, runners, runoff