virtuous circle
Syllables: vir·tu·ous cir·cleUK/ˈvɜː.t͡ʃʊ.əs ˈsɜː.kəl/US/ˈvɝ.t͡ʃu.əs ˈsɝ.kəl/
virtuous circle noun: a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve than the original one.
Noun
virtuous circle (plural virtuous circles)
- A situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve than the original one.
- [T]he less our agriculturists are interfered with by the importation of foreign corn, the more money have they to spend with their manufacturing brethren, who, in turn, secure of their steady profits at home, are able to ship extensively to distant markets with little apprehension as to the result....1847, [John Lettsom Elliot], A Letter to the Electors of Westminster. From a Conservative, 2nd edition, [London]: John Hearne, […], →OCLC, page 18
- State structuration, in effect, was characterized by the maintenance of a ‘virtuous circle’ from the post-feudal period to the middle of the twentieth century. This virtuous circle, however, must not be mistaken for inevitability. The state is neither universal nor a higher stage of some sort of...1990, Philip G. Cerny, “The Modern State at the Crossroads: Structuring the Field of Political Action”, in The Changing Architecture of Politics: Structure, Agency, and the Future of the State...
- Synonyms:
- virtuous cycle, virtuous spiral
- Antonyms:
- vicious circle, vicious cycle
- A series of positive events where each event leads to the next, creating a self-sustaining cycle of improvement and success.
Examples of virtuous circle in a sentence
- In political economy there may be "vicious circles," but there are "virtuous circles" too, and this is one of them.1847, [John Lettsom Elliot], A Letter to the Electors of Westminster. From a Conservative, 2nd edition, [London]: John Hearne, […], →OCLC...
- State structuration, in effect, was characterized by the maintenance of a ‘virtuous circle’ from the post-feudal period to the middle of the twentieth century.1990, Philip G. Cerny, “The Modern State at the Crossroads: Structuring the Field of Political Action”, in The Changing Architecture of...
Synonyms of virtuous circle
Antonyms
Forms of virtuous circle
| plural | virtuous circles |
|---|
Questions about virtuous circle
- What does virtuous circle mean?
- Virtuous circle means a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve than the original one.
- How do you use virtuous circle in a sentence?
- In political economy there may be "vicious circles," but there are "virtuous circles" too, and this is one of them.
- What part of speech is virtuous circle?
- Virtuous circle is a noun.
- How do you pronounce virtuous circle?
- Virtuous circle is pronounced /ˈvɜː.t͡ʃʊ.əs ˈsɜː.kəl/ (UK).
- What is the plural of virtuous circle?
- The plural of virtuous circle is virtuous circles.
Words near virtuous circle in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: virtuous circle (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-virtuous circle.ogg.
Cite this entry: “virtuous circle.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/virtuous_circle. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.