cyclic

IPA/ˈsaɪklɪk/
KK[sˈaɪklɪk]IPA/ˈsaɪklɪk/

cyclic — adjective

  • cyclicpositive
  • more cycliccomparative
  • most cyclicsuperlative

1. happening in a regular pattern where the same events or conditions repeat themse

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

happening in a regular pattern where the same events or conditions repeat themselves again and again over time

Example

The company's profits follow a cyclic pattern that rises and falls every few years.

collocation: cyclic pattern

Eitan noticed a cyclic change in traffic on the bridge during holiday seasons.

Common collocations
  • cyclic pattern
  • cyclic process
  • cyclic variation
  • cyclic change
  • cyclic nature
  • cyclic behaviour
  • cyclic unemployment
Synonyms
  • periodic

    more precise about fixed time intervals between occurrences; 'cyclic' emphasises returning to a starting point

  • recurring

    broader — simply means happening again, without guaranteeing a fixed pattern

  • repeated

    more general; does not imply a structured cycle or rhythm

Antonyms
  • non-cyclic

    describes something that does not follow a repeating pattern

  • irregular

    lacks a predictable schedule or order

Grammar Patterns

cyclic + noun

be cyclic

Usage Note

Commonly paired with nouns describing natural, economic, or biological processes that go through predictable stages before returning to an earlier state.

Common Mistakes

☓ 'The weather has been cyclic today, raining and stopping repeatedly.' ✅ 'The weather has followed a cyclic pattern this week, with rain returning every afternoon.' — 'cyclic' describes a regular repeating pattern over time, not a single day's irregular on-and-off changes.

2. describing a chemical compound whose atoms form a closed ring, rather than an op

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing a chemical compound whose atoms form a closed ring, rather than an open chain of connected atoms

Example

Bilal studied the properties of cyclic hydrocarbons during his chemistry lab class.

collocation: cyclic hydrocarbons

Cyclic molecules often have different chemical properties than their open-chain forms.

domain contrast: cyclic vs. open-chain

Common collocations
  • cyclic compound
  • cyclic molecule
  • cyclic structure
  • cyclic hydrocarbon
  • cyclic ring
Synonyms
  • ring-shaped

    describes the physical arrangement of atoms but is less technical

  • closed-chain

    direct contrast to 'open-chain'; describes the bonding pattern

  • circular

    informal equivalent; avoided in technical writing

Antonyms
  • acyclic

    the standard technical opposite in chemistry

  • open-chain

    describes molecules with atoms arranged in a linear chain

Grammar Patterns

cyclic + noun (chemistry context)

Usage Note

Restricted to chemistry contexts. The opposite structure is called 'acyclic' or 'open-chain'. Common prefixes for ring sizes include 'cyclo-' (e.g. cyclohexane).

Common Mistakes

☓ 'A cyclic shape' (referring to a simple circle in geometry). ✅ 'A cyclic compound' or 'cyclic molecule' — in chemistry, 'cyclic' describes a ring-shaped molecular structure, not just any round outline.

cyclic — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Cyclic and periodic both describe events that occur at regular intervals, but cyclic emphasises a sequence that returns to its starting point before beginning again — like economic booms and busts or the changing seasons. Periodic focuses on the fixed time interval between occurrences, regardless of whether the events form a closed loop: a periodic health check-up happens every six months but does not 'cycle back' to an earlier condition. Recurring simply means something happens repeatedly but guarantees no fixed schedule or pattern — headaches may recur at random. Repeated means something happens more than once, often identically, without implying any rhythm at all. For example: the housing market follows a cyclic boom-and-bust pattern; she made periodic visits to her dentist every six months; the same software bug kept recurring despite updates; the teacher gave repeated warnings about late assignments.

cyclic ↗periodic ↗recurring ↗repeated ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word cyclic traces back to the Greek 'kyklos', meaning 'circle' or 'ring'. This passed into Latin as 'cyclus', then into French as 'cyclique', and entered English in the early 1800s. The same Greek root also gave us 'cycle', 'bicycle', and 'encyclopedia' (from 'enkyklios paideia', meaning 'circular education').