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vicious circles

noun

variants also vicious cycles
plural of vicious circle
as in cycles
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.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vicious circles
  1. cycles
  2. chains
  3. circles
Noun
  • About 100 connection cycles were completed over several days leading up to and during the event, with 400 gallons of fuel transferred to the T38 in total.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Tibet is a Chinese autonomous region that has gone through cycles of protest, unrest and government repression since China asserted control over the region in 1951.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of cycles
Noun
  • Unlike many major fast-food chains, In-N-Out does not freeze its beef patties or produce, KTLA reported.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Marmalade Cafe is joining the ranks of other California restaurant chains that have filed for bankruptcy this year.
    — Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of chains
Noun
  • Hampton will benefit from the same system that made De’Von Achane a household name in Fantasy circles.
    — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Her fantastical Biblical scenes, of a graphic, storybook sensibility, sometimes showed angels, and Christ himself, as chalky white, and this rang in some Black critical circles as a sign of backwater unsophistication.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of circles
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.

Browse Nearby Words

vicious circle
vicious circles
viciously
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Cite this Entry

“Vicious circles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vicious%20circles. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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