Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cyclical
Explanation
Though day-to-day weather changes are unpredictable, nature’s seasons can always be counted on to move in cyclical or predictable patterns. Cyclical is used to describe things that are regularly patterned or that occur in regular intervals. The root of cyclical is “cycle” which means movement in a circular fashion, or the circular fashion itself. Planets orbit the sun in cyclical patterns, the moon’s phases are cyclical as well. Some stock brokers say that the market is cyclical, but that may be just a way of telling people to keep investing when it's down.
Vocabulary lists containing cyclical
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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Earth and the Solar System - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While AI has created more demand than the industry had been expecting, Bryson said it should be remembered that memory is a cyclical business that is dictated by supply, not demand.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 3, 2026
Shares of the plastics and chemicals giant have been battered by a combination of cyclical industry downturns, global oversupply, and margin pressure.
From Barron's • Jun. 30, 2026
The memory industry has always been cyclical, and today’s prices reflect an unprecedented global supply-demand imbalance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
Both industries can be cyclical, but the ups and downs are typically less severe on the commercial side.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
Such meanings presume a cyclical view of history.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
