THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
positional treadmill
noun phrase
A metaphor for competing to maintain relative standing, so greater effort brings little improvement in one's position.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
SEE IT IN USE
Examples in context
The essay's positional treadmill appears when each neighbor buys more simply to keep pace.
A positional treadmill develops when every stall keeps purchasing more elaborate badges merely to preserve its place in the prestige ranking.
Notice how the same meaning carries into different situations. Try explaining what the word contributes to each example.
MAKE IT YOURS
Write your own sentence
Use "positional treadmill" in a situation you might actually discuss. Compare your meaning with the definition above.
Personal practice. Sentences are saved locally and are not automatically graded.
READ THIS WORD IN CONTEXT
Included in the learning path
Pleasure and Public StandingReading 1 / Open lessonAPPLY IT AND RETURN
Build a retention record for this word.
Use its lesson question and fresh-context checkpoint on separate days. Your browser can track the evidence for a retention milestone.
How the milestone worksAbout this entry
This entry is part of the vocabulary collection supplied by GlobalRPh. Definitions are concise study meanings. Examples combine original teaching sentences with selected passages adapted from the supplied study notes; their source is labeled beside each example. A word may have additional specialized or historical senses.
Adapted from supplied vocabulary notes. Example written for WordCraft.
Source study sections: 20.
Dictionary scope and sources