terrorinertia
/ˌtɛroʊrɪˈnɜːrʃə/nounVerified NewThe tendency of purge machinery to continue operating after the fear that built it has ended.
Institutions built to detect enemies outlive the emergencies that created them; committees keep meeting, lists keep circulating, and the movement consumes loyalists long after the siege is lifted.
Etym. — *terror* + *inertia* — motion that persists because nothing stops it.
Rel. — tumbriltide
Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-04
review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-2-100-words-2026-11-04.md
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