invisible hand
nounDefinition of invisible hand
: a hypothetical economic force that in a freely competitive market works for the benefit of all
Examples of invisible hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Smith argues that if a businessperson pursues enlightened self-interest—an enlightenment that includes thinking long-term, thriftiness, and saving—the spur of the invisible hand will yield unimaginable wealth. — Mitchell S. Jackson, Harper's magazine, "Opportunity Cost," 10 Feb. 2019 While politicians trade press releases on the subject, the practical fate of hate-promoting tech platforms has fallen to the invisible hand of the marketplace. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Why deplatforming 8chan can be effective," 8 Aug. 2019 In this, Reagan was following Adam Smith’s belief in an invisible hand, the supposedly natural power of market demands to sort out the economy and, implicitly, society. — John Broich, The Conversation, "The difference between ‘left’ and ‘liberal’ – and why voters need to know," 30 July 2019 As if by magic, the invisible hand of a freer marketplace is now generating new benefits as employers compete to fill all those open positions. — James Freeman, WSJ, "TrumpCare Beats ObamaCare," 23 July 2018 The invisible hand may guide some games, but others may resist its hold, trapping players in a never-ending competition for gains forever just out of reach. Exercises Suppose Player B plays the mixed strategy (1/2,1/2,0). — Megan Molteni, WIRED, "Why Winning in Rock-Paper-Scissors Isn’t Everything," 7 Apr. 2018 But there are reasons to doubt that distribution systems, filled with quirky and unpredictable human behaviors, can be adequately guided by the invisible hand alone. — David Roberts, Vox, "Clean energy technologies threaten to overwhelm the grid. Here’s how it can adapt.," 30 Nov. 2018 Backers of a universal basic income believe that the link between work and income should be broken, while advocates of an unregulated private market claim the invisible hand will produce all the jobs and compensation workers need and deserve. — William A. Galston, WSJ, "Work: The New Political Breakthrough," 20 Nov. 2018 Yeah, the Michael Douglas thing, but the capitalist system works when everyone pursues his own self-interest, maximizes his own income and as if by magic, the invisible hand somehow makes us all better off. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "American capitalism broke in the 1980s. Can it be fixed?," 7 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'invisible hand.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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