vicious circle

noun

1. Also called vicious cycle. a situation in which effort to solve a given problem results in aggravation of the problem or the creation of a worse problem:

   a vicious circle where the more I give them, the more they expect.

2. Logic.
   1. (in demonstration) the use of each of two propositions to establish the other.
   2. (in definition) the use of each of two terms to define the other.

vicious circle

noun

1. Alsovicious cycle a situation in which an attempt to resolve one problem creates new problems that lead back to the original situation
2. logic
   1. a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is inferred from premises the truth of which cannot be established independently of that conclusion
   2. an explanation given in terms that cannot be understood independently of that which was to be explained
   3. a situation in which some statement is shown to entail its negation and vice versa, as this statement is false is true only if false and false only if true
3. med a condition in which one disease or disorder causes another, which in turn aggravates the first condition

vicious circle

1. A series of reactions that compound an initial unfortunate occurrence or situation: “A person who is overweight is likely to feel frustrated and to deal with this frustration by eating more; it's a vicious circle.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of vicious circle¹

First recorded in 1785–95

Idioms and Phrases

A series of events in which each problem creates another and worsens the original one. For example, The fatter I get, the unhappier I am, so I eat to cheer myself up, which makes me fatter yet—it's a vicious circle . This expression comes from the French cercle vicieux , which in philosophy means “a circular proof”—that is, the proof of one statement depends on a second statement, whose proof in turn depends on the first. One writer suggests that the English meaning of “vicious” helped the expression acquire its more pejorative present sense, used since 1839.

Example Sentences

He argued in a social media post that Latino politicians were using the term “to appease white rich progressives who think that is the term we use. It is a vicious circle of confirmation bias.”

From Los Angeles Times

But, he suggests, there is a vicious circle of some young offenders committing anti-social behaviour because society ignores them.

From BBC

Jan Egeland, the agency’s secretary-general, told The Associated Press that Western governments have been withdrawing financial aid from Burkina Faso and other countries in the Sahel, a region encompassing states on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, contributing to the vicious circle of poverty, violence, and extremism.

From Seattle Times

To get coverage they need support, and to get support they need coverage - the vicious circle that afflicts all but the two main parties in Westminster.

From BBC

As Fico lay in hospital, outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, one of his staunchest opponents, pleaded to “step out of the vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations.”

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• chain reaction
• vicious cycle