countercyclical

adjective

coun·​ter·​cy·​cli·​cal ˌkau̇n-tər-ˈsī-kli-kəl How to pronounce countercyclical (audio)
-ˈsi-
: calculated to check excessive developments in a business cycle : compensatory
countercyclical budget policies
countercyclically adverb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web After all, some industries are countercyclical: dollar and discount stores do well in a recession. Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2023 Joelle, is the lesson here that Keynesian economics, in terms of public investment priming the pump in countercyclical times, works? How To Save A Country, The New Republic, 1 Dec. 2022 The countercyclical factor—the calculation of which remains a mystery to market participants—gives the central bank a heavier hand in setting the daily fixing. Rebecca Feng, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2022 Finally, in times of stress, a CBDC might be considered as a safe refuge which would also lead to a countercyclical reduction in deposits of banks. Jason Brett, Forbes, 25 June 2022 Whether overconfidence or hardheaded realism are responsible for the tepid countercyclical response, the likely result is the same: an extended period of subpar Chinese growth, beginning with a steep downturn this quarter. Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, 17 May 2022 The countercyclical risk reduction inherent in GE’s mega-growth ignored the fact that shareholders could better diversify risk in their own portfolio of holdings. Fortune, 12 Nov. 2021 Again, cyclical rather than countercyclical behavior and there were losses—but the industry’s and consumers, not the government. Michael Lynch, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2021 Singapore introduced an unprecedented five budgets in 2020, with more than 100 billion Singapore dollars in economic support and stimulus as countercyclical measures. Devadas Krishnadas, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'countercyclical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of countercyclical was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near countercyclical

Cite this Entry

“Countercyclical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countercyclical. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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