variants
also vicious cycle
as in cycle
a repeating situation or condition in which one problem causes another problem that makes the first problem worse
We're trapped in a vicious circle of needing to borrow money in order to pay debts.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vicious circle
Perhaps in telling this tale Smith held out the hope that the best of monarchs, like the best of emperors, Augustus, could break this vicious circle.
—
Iain Murray, National Review, 16 Dec. 2023
Another said France’s government was dragging its partners into a vicious circle of growing distrust with the country’s new authorities that could erode Europe’s broader involvement in the region.
—Elian Peltier, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Underspending on education has yielded a vicious circle, experts say.
—Vivian Yee, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2023
This vicious circle is not limited to the immediacy of violent episodes, but reaches out, marring relationships and coloring worldviews with shame and fear.
—Maria Williams, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for vicious circle 
Iain Murray, National Review, 16 Dec. 2023
Another said France’s government was dragging its partners into a vicious circle of growing distrust with the country’s new authorities that could erode Europe’s broader involvement in the region.
—Elian Peltier, New York Times, 18 Sep. 2023
Underspending on education has yielded a vicious circle, experts say.
—Vivian Yee, New York Times, 6 Aug. 2023
This vicious circle is not limited to the immediacy of violent episodes, but reaches out, marring relationships and coloring worldviews with shame and fear.
—Maria Williams, USA TODAY, 10 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for vicious circle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicious circle
Noun
-
One button toggles which of the two lights are on, and the other button cycles brightness levels and red.Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
-
College students from Zhengzhou cycle to Kaifeng, China, on Saturday night.Peter Guo, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Their cutbacks on spending forced a reckoning among restaurants, with fast-food brands like McDonald’s leaning into value menus and full-service chains like Red Lobster embarking on ambitious makeovers.Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
-
Taco Bell has been proactive in using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram (META) to engage with users, and the Tex-Mex chain has even gone so far as to let customers vote through the Taco Bell app on which menu items should make a comeback.Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Such a test would be a sign of China’s weakening influence over Pyongyang and could spur Seoul to try to acquire nuclear weapons of its own—a position that both South Korea and the United States officially oppose but is gaining traction in Western policy circles.Sungmin Cho, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2024
-
An expanding black circle marks the spread of polar night in the Arctic in this animation of images acquired by the NOAA-20 satellite between Sept. 4 and Nov. 7.Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
The film returns us to a childlike gaze, marveling at a world alive with possibility, where every sight lives on a continuum of meaning.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
-
But, for me, part of that continuum of getting that high energy part of him.Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near vicious circle
Cite this Entry
“Vicious circle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicious%20circle. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share