Meaning & use
cyclical change
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
a change that happens again and again in a regular pattern, often returning to an earlier state.
Grammar: Can be used as a general idea (uncountable) or for one instance (countable): 'cyclical change is normal' / 'a cyclical change in demand'.
Patterns
- cyclical change in something
- undergo cyclical change
- a pattern of cyclical change
The economy shows a pattern of cyclical change, with booms followed by recessions.
Scientists observed cyclical changes in the bird population over ten years.
Fashion is known for its cyclical changes, as old styles come back.
nouncountabletechnical
a repeated rise and fall in a measured quantity, such as prices, temperature, or hormone levels.
Grammar: Often used in technical contexts with 'in': a cyclical change in temperature.
Patterns
- cyclical change in temperature
- show cyclical change
- seasonal cyclical change
The data revealed a cyclical change in sea surface temperatures.
Hormone levels undergo cyclical changes during the month.
Investors try to predict cyclical changes in the stock market.
Word forms
| plural | cyclical changes |
|---|
Common combinations
- cyclical change in demand
- The company adjusts its production to cyclical changes in demand.
- pattern of cyclical change
- Historians identified a pattern of cyclical change in the empire's fortunes.
- undergo cyclical change
- The lake undergoes cyclical changes in water level each year.
- cyclical change in the economy
- Unemployment is affected by cyclical changes in the economy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- periodic change
- Similar, but 'periodic' emphasizes fixed intervals of time, while 'cyclical' emphasizes the repeating sequence.
- fluctuation
- A fluctuation is a less regular rise and fall; a cyclical change suggests a more predictable cycle.
Opposites
Word family
- cycle noun
- A series of events that repeat in the same order.
- cyclical adjective
- Happening in cycles; repeating regularly.
- cyclically adverb
- In a way that repeats in cycles.
Commonly confused: cyclical change or cyclic change?
cyclical change vs cyclic change
In everyday use 'cyclic' and 'cyclical' are often interchangeable, but 'cyclical' is more common in economics and general writing.
Practice
Economists study ______ in consumer spending to predict recessions.
Choose one answer.
The plural 'cyclical changes' fits because economists study repeated changes over time. The singular 'cyclical change' would suggest only one change, and 'the cyclical change' is too specific for a general statement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cyclical change”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.