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cyclical

cyclical

28 5.1
Happening again and again at regular times
  • adjective
  • /ˈsɪklɪkəl/
translation icon : cíclico
  • Many economic trends are cyclical, rising and falling over predictable intervals.
  • cyclical pattern
  • cyclical process
  • cyclical nature

I I think that they saw it as proof of the cyclical nature of life.

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Examples

  • This is a cyclical bull market within a longer term secular bear market.

  • At the same time, the reduction in aggregate demand has caused a cyclical recession in Poland.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I I think that they saw it as proof of the cyclical nature of life.

  • I have noticed that it's cyclical and we go in and out of it.

  • You and I know this economies are cyclical, right?

  • I mean, this is the cyclical nature of late-night TV.

  • We begin to notice here an emphasis on the circular or cyclical aspects of life in relation to time.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Her illness was somewhat cyclical, usually recurring in the winter and lasting for two or three months.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Self-regulating one's performance is cyclical in that the feedback from prior performances is used to adjust one's current approach.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Because it's always cyclical, there's always an ebb and a flow to what's happening.

Synonyms

repetitive
vscyclical
58 3.5

Doing the same thing again and again

implies regular cycles and timed recurrence, not just sameness
periodic
vscyclical
47 3.9

Happens again at regular times

shares the same sense but differs in adjective form
rhythmic
vscyclical
42 3.6

Having a regular pattern of sounds or movements

is about timed recurrence in general, not just sound or movement
recurrent
vscyclical
12 4.7

Happening again and again, often at regular times

emphasizes cycle timing more than general repeated occurrence
iterative
vscyclical
5 6.6

Happening again and again to improve something

focuses on repetition as a process rather than scheduled intervals
cyclic
vscyclical
5 4.8

Happens repeatedly in a regular pattern

has identical meaning but uses a different adjective form
periodical
vscyclical
3 4.4

Happening at regular times

matches the same regular-interval meaning but with different form
rhythmical
vscyclical
1 3.9

Happening with a steady, regular beat like music or movement

describes regular intervals without musical or beat focus
reiterative
vscyclical
1 7.4

Using the same words or idea again and again

stresses regular timing across cycles rather than mere repetition
recurring
vscyclical
3.3

Happens again and again over time

focuses on repeated return rather than strict regular intervals
reoccurring
vscyclical
4.1

Happening again and again

implies regular, scheduled repetition rather than occasional return

Antonyms

67 3.4

Happening only once and not repeated

Not happening in regular cycles

Compounds

cyclical deficit
  • Specialized
7.7

A government budget shortfall that grows in a recession and falls when the economy improves

How Cyclical

cyclical
28 5.1
regular
870 1.0
periodic
47 3.9
intermittent
35 6.5
occasional
285 2.8
irregular
27 3.5

Surface Forms

cyclical positive
cyclicaler comparative
cyclicalest superlative

Morphology

cyclical = cycle (transparent) = cycle + ical

Formed by the productive adjective-forming suffix '-ical' added to the noun 'cycle', yielding an adjective meaning 'relating to cycles'.

Etymology

Cyclical comes from the Greek root kyklos, which means 'circle', and you can see this root in English words like cycle and bicycle, so imagine a wheel turning again and again. So, something cyclical happens again and again at regular times.