diff --git a/mlir/include/mlir/IR/MLIRContext.h b/mlir/include/mlir/IR/MLIRContext.h
--- a/mlir/include/mlir/IR/MLIRContext.h
+++ b/mlir/include/mlir/IR/MLIRContext.h
@@ -98,16 +98,22 @@
         }));
   }
 
+  /// Return true if the given dialect is currently loading.
+  bool isDialectLoading(StringRef dialectNamespace);
+
   /// Load a dialect in the context.
   template <typename Dialect>
   void loadDialect() {
-    getOrLoadDialect<Dialect>();
+    // Do not load the dialect if it is currently loading. This can happen if a
+    // dialect initializer triggers loading the same dialect recursively.
+    if (!isDialectLoading(Dialect::getDialectNamespace()))
+      getOrLoadDialect<Dialect>();
   }
 
   /// Load a list dialects in the context.
   template <typename Dialect, typename OtherDialect, typename... MoreDialects>
   void loadDialect() {
-    getOrLoadDialect<Dialect>();
+    loadDialect<Dialect>();
     loadDialect<OtherDialect, MoreDialects...>();
   }
 
diff --git a/mlir/lib/IR/MLIRContext.cpp b/mlir/lib/IR/MLIRContext.cpp
--- a/mlir/lib/IR/MLIRContext.cpp
+++ b/mlir/lib/IR/MLIRContext.cpp
@@ -175,6 +175,10 @@
   DenseMap<StringRef, std::unique_ptr<Dialect>> loadedDialects;
   DialectRegistry dialectsRegistry;
 
+  /// This is a list of dialect that are currently in the process of loading.
+  /// I.e., their constructor/initializer is still executing.
+  DenseSet<StringRef> loadingDialects;
+
   /// An allocator used for AbstractAttribute and AbstractType objects.
   llvm::BumpPtrAllocator abstractDialectSymbolAllocator;
 
@@ -429,10 +433,17 @@
           ") while in a multi-threaded execution context (maybe "
           "the PassManager): this can indicate a "
           "missing `dependentDialects` in a pass for example.");
+    if (impl.loadingDialects.contains(dialectNamespace))
+      llvm::report_fatal_error(
+          "Loading (and getting) a dialect (" + dialectNamespace +
+          ") while the same dialect is still loading: use loadDialect instead "
+          "of getOrLoadDialect.");
 #endif
+    auto it = impl.loadingDialects.insert(dialectNamespace);
     std::unique_ptr<Dialect> &dialect =
         impl.loadedDialects.insert({dialectNamespace, ctor()}).first->second;
     assert(dialect && "dialect ctor failed");
+    impl.loadingDialects.erase(it.first);
 
     // Refresh all the identifiers dialect field, this catches cases where a
     // dialect may be loaded after identifier prefixed with this dialect name
@@ -458,6 +469,10 @@
   return dialect.get();
 }
 
+bool MLIRContext::isDialectLoading(StringRef dialectNamespace) {
+  return getImpl().loadingDialects.contains(dialectNamespace);
+}
+
 DynamicDialect *MLIRContext::getOrLoadDynamicDialect(
     StringRef dialectNamespace, function_ref<void(DynamicDialect *)> ctor) {
   auto &impl = getImpl();
diff --git a/mlir/tools/mlir-tblgen/DialectGen.cpp b/mlir/tools/mlir-tblgen/DialectGen.cpp
--- a/mlir/tools/mlir-tblgen/DialectGen.cpp
+++ b/mlir/tools/mlir-tblgen/DialectGen.cpp
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@
 /// Registration for a single dependent dialect: to be inserted in the ctor
 /// above for each dependent dialect.
 const char *const dialectRegistrationTemplate = R"(
-    getContext()->getOrLoadDialect<{0}>();
+    getContext()->loadDialect<{0}>();
 )";
 
 /// The code block for the attribute parser/printer hooks.