Synonyms

cyclical

American

[sahy-kli-kuhl, sik-li-] / ˈsaɪ klɪ kəl, ˈsɪk lɪ- /

adjective

cyclic.
of or denoting a business or stock whose income, value, or earnings fluctuate widely according to variations in the economy or the cycle of the seasons.

Selling Christmas decorations is a cyclical business.

noun

Usually cyclicals. stocks of cyclical companies.

Other Word Forms

cyclicality noun
cyclically adverb
noncyclical adjective
noncyclically adverb
procyclical adjective

Etymology

Origin of cyclical

First recorded in 1810–20; cyclic + -al ¹

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.

“We expect cyclical sectors and oil importers—some of which have had strong starts to the year and may face vulnerability from positioning adjustments—will likely see pressure unless a resolution occurs quickly.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite these structural shifts, defense contractors are often valued like cyclical industrial companies.

From MarketWatch

Should the economy run hot, cyclical stocks could see further gains from here.

From MarketWatch

“AI infrastructure demand remains structural rather than cyclical, and the outlook reinforces a durable, multi-year growth trajectory across compute, networking, and advanced system architecture,” the analysts say following Nvidia’s results.

From The Wall Street Journal

A lot of cyclical recovery is baked into shares.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023