tailspin means the rapid, uncontrollable descent of an aircraft in a steep spiral. It carries an Arena rating of 1730, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, tailspin ranks #126 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #279 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #432 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #1,209 of 17,114 for Most Satisfying to Say.
Why “tailspin” is a great word
A rapid, uncontrollable descent or decline, either literal (as of an aircraft) or figurative (as of mental state or circumstances). From tail (referring to the rear of an aircraft) + spin (a rapid rotating motion), the word emerged in the 1910s–1920s as pilots sought language for a specific horror. Unlike a 'nosedive,' which implies a decisive, straight-down plunge, or a general 'decline,' which suggests gradual deterioration, a tailspin is a spiraling, vertiginous unraveling. It is the sickening corkscrew of a stalled biplane, the frantic, circular thoughts of a mind besieged by panic, or the slow-motion collapse of a life unravelling in widening, helpless circles—a reminder that the most profound collapses are often rotational, not linear, as the center simply fails to hold.
Etymology
From tail + spin.
noun
- The rapid, uncontrollable descent of an aircraft in a steep spiral.e.g.“The loss of the third engine threw the plane into a tailspin.”
- A severe mental or emotional collapse; emotional breakdown.e.g.“Just hours after leaving the institution, she suffered another tailspin.”
- Any sharp, sustained, often uncontrollable descent or decline.e.g.“The present stock tailspin proves bankruptcy is imminent.”
verb
- Of an aircraft: to go into a rapid, uncontrollable descent in a steep spiral.
- To go into a sharp, sustained, often uncontrollable descent or decline.
Words closest in meaning
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