diff --git a/lib/internal/readline/interface.js b/lib/internal/readline/interface.js
index 9b8ff459fa3573..09354cdc158420 100644
--- a/lib/internal/readline/interface.js
+++ b/lib/internal/readline/interface.js
@@ -1330,18 +1330,22 @@ class Interface extends InterfaceConstructor {
         // falls through
         default:
           if (typeof s === 'string' && s) {
+            // Erase state of previous searches.
+            lineEnding.lastIndex = 0;
             let nextMatch = RegExpPrototypeExec(lineEnding, s);
-            if (nextMatch !== null) {
-              this[kInsertString](StringPrototypeSlice(s, 0, nextMatch.index));
-              let { lastIndex } = lineEnding;
-              while ((nextMatch = RegExpPrototypeExec(lineEnding, s)) !== null) {
-                this[kLine]();
+            // If no line endings are found, just insert the string as is.
+            if (nextMatch === null) {
+              this[kInsertString](s);
+            } else {
+              // Keep track of the end of the last match.
+              let lastIndex = 0;
+              do {
                 this[kInsertString](StringPrototypeSlice(s, lastIndex, nextMatch.index));
                 ({ lastIndex } = lineEnding);
-              }
-              if (lastIndex === s.length) this[kLine]();
-            } else {
-              this[kInsertString](s);
+                this[kLine]();
+                // Restore lastIndex as the call to kLine could have mutated it.
+                lineEnding.lastIndex = lastIndex;
+              } while ((nextMatch = RegExpPrototypeExec(lineEnding, s)) !== null);
             }
           }
       }
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-readline-interface-recursive-writes.js b/test/parallel/test-readline-interface-recursive-writes.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..3a0aee5be9d619
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-readline-interface-recursive-writes.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../common');
+const ArrayStream = require('../common/arraystream');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+common.skipIfDumbTerminal();
+
+const readline = require('readline');
+const rli = new readline.Interface({
+  terminal: true,
+  input: new ArrayStream(),
+});
+
+let recursionDepth = 0;
+
+// Minimal reproduction for #46731
+const testInput = ' \n}\n';
+const numberOfExpectedLines = testInput.match(/\n/g).length;
+
+rli.on('line', () => {
+  // Abort in case of infinite loop
+  if (recursionDepth > numberOfExpectedLines) {
+    return;
+  }
+  recursionDepth++;
+  // Write something recursively to readline
+  rli.write('foo');
+});
+
+
+rli.write(testInput);
+
+assert.strictEqual(recursionDepth, numberOfExpectedLines);