CYCLIC Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

cyclic

adjective

variants or cyclical

Definition of cyclic

as in periodic

happening again and again in the same order cyclic changes in the weather the cyclical nature of history

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Example 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 cyclic The acquisition was considered risky because semiconductor manufacturing is highly cyclical and requires substantial capital investment. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Oct. 2026 Pumping gas in and out of a seismic fault line sounds like a recipe for earthquakes, but cyclic testing over a 10-year period showed the exact opposite effect. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026 El Niño is a cyclic climate pattern that influences weather around the globe. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026 Labor shortages that used to be cyclical are starting to look permanent. — Pat Gelsinger, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cyclic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cyclic

Adjective

Building and protecting those pipelines will be expensive—but far cheaper than trying to keep the strait open by force or coping with periodic shortages and price spikes.

— Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2026
Preliterate people don’t focus on such abstractions as taking a periodic population census and recording it for posterity.

— James Coffin, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of periodic

Adjective

Security training Current TSA regulations require recurrent security training for flight crew and cabin crew members, which includes self-defense training and exercises on how to handle a hijacking.

— Jeff Price, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
The second, given by Stille, enlisted a recurrent theme in Eco’s fiction — how falsehood often trumps truth — to discuss the crisis of liberal democracy and its institutions.

— Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of recurrent

Adjective

The French broadcaster said the cyberattack involved forcing a continuous defrost cycle, setting temperatures to 50°C (122°F).

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 13 Oct. 2026
The jean is enhanced with a continuous one-piece fly dating to 1877 and is made with a single-needle construction, with no serger or overlock method.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of continuous

Browse Nearby Words

cycleways

cyclic

cyclone

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“Cyclic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cyclic. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cyclic

adjective

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