Definition

1. Noun:
   • A situation in which the solution to one problem creates a new problem, which then makes the original problem worse: A self-perpetuating cycle of cause and effect where negative outcomes reinforce their own causes.
   • A logical fallacy in which a conclusion is assumed in one of the premises: An argument that uses its own conclusion as a premise, thus proving nothing.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Problem Cycle):
  • The company is caught in a vicious circle: low profits lead to low investment, which leads to even lower profits.
  • Poverty can be a vicious circle where lack of education leads to poor job prospects, which perpetuates poverty.
• Noun (Logical Fallacy):
  • His argument that the book is truthful because it says so is a classic vicious circle.

Advanced Usage

• "To be trapped/stuck in a vicious circle": To be unable to escape a self-reinforcing negative cycle.
  • Without intervention, the economy could be stuck in a vicious circle of inflation and wage demands.
• "To break/escape a vicious circle": To take action to stop the negative cycle.
  • The new social program aims to break the vicious circle of homelessness and unemployment.

Variants and Related Words

• Vicious cycle (n): A common alternative term with identical meaning to the "problem cycle" sense.
  • Stress and poor sleep often form a vicious cycle.
• Cycle of deprivation (n): A specific socio-economic vicious circle.
• Circular reasoning (n): A synonym for the logical fallacy sense.

Synonyms

• Vicious cycle: (For the problem sense) A self-reinforcing negative loop.
• Downward spiral: A situation continuously getting worse.
• Circular argument/circular reasoning: (For the logical sense) An argument that assumes what it sets out to prove.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• A catch-22: A situation where one cannot avoid a problem because of contradictory rules or conditions. (This is a related, but distinct, concept where one is trapped by conflicting requirements, rather than a reinforcing cycle).
  • It's a catch-22: you need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience. (This differs from a vicious circle, which involves one problem directly worsening another).

Noun

1. an argument that assumes that which is to be proved
2. one trouble leads to another that aggravates the first