invisible hand
Featured
Puzzle #69 · August 9, 2025
Coined by Adam Smith in 1759 in his book The Wealth of Nations, the ‘invisible hand’ is the means by which consumers, acting in their own self-interest, benefit society as a whole.
The hand implies something that is guiding society as a whole, while the invisibility of the hand implies it isn't a real thing, but an emergent effect of millions of individual, independent decisions.
Smith's book laid the foundation of the modern capitalist system which has lifted over 1 billion people out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015 alone.
The hand implies something that is guiding society as a whole, while the invisibility of the hand implies it isn't a real thing, but an emergent effect of millions of individual, independent decisions.
Smith's book laid the foundation of the modern capitalist system which has lifted over 1 billion people out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2015 alone.
Puzzle Appearances
The expression invisible hand has appeared in 1 puzzle:
- Puzzle #69 on August 9, 2025
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
Explore More Expressions
Everyday the Wordcels Puzzle has a featured expression showing meaning, history and connection to culture. Explore them all.
The Wordcels Puzzle
Think you've mastered Americanisms? The two-word phrases, compound words and idiomatic expressions of American English? Each day the Wordcels Puzzle provides 15 words that must be arranged to form 16 expressions. Give it a try.
