Dictionary

virtuous circle en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈvɜː.t͡ʃʊ.əs ˈsɜː.kəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈvɝ.t͡ʃu.əs ˈsɝ.kəl/ (General-American)

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) A situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve than the original one.
   • 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 teleological evolutionary process. Should other structures […] prove superior in structural capacity in a phase of stress and change, and prove capable of acquiring sufficient legitimation, […] then the virtuous circle could conceivably be broken and the modern state superseded. 1990, Philip G. Cerny, “The Modern State at the Crossroads: Structuring the Field of Political Action”, in The Changing Architecture of Politics: Structure,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, London; Newbury Park, Calif.: SAGE Publications, →ISBN, part I (The Principles of Political Structuration: Structure, Agency, and the Development of the Modern State), page 100:
   • [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. 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, page 18:
   • We can explain these differences in terms of a virtuous circle of positive feedback in response to market stimulus or a vicious circle of defensive and negative feedback that reinforced anti-market orientations associated with their administrative heritage before the advent of economic reforms. 2015, H[ailan] Yang, S[tephen] L. Morgan, “Development of China’s State-controlled Firms: The Case of the Consumer Electronics Sector”, in Hailan Yang, Stephen L. Morgan, Ying Wang, editors, The Strategies of China’s Firms: Resolving Dilemmas (Elsevier Asian Studies Series), Waltham, Mass.; Kidlington, Oxfordshire: Chandos Publishing, Elsevier, →ISBN, section 1.8 (Discussion: State Ownership and Competitiveness), page 16:
   • Successful social entrepreneurs go through a cycle of growth in several linked stages. At each stage they could fail and the organisation could go into decline. […] We call this complete process the ‘virtuous circle of social capital’ because it starts with the inheritance of social capital and ends with the returns from the investment of social capital. 1997, Charles Leadbeater, “The Virtuous Circle of Social Capital: How Social Entrepreneurs Inherit, Create, and Invest Social Capital”, in The Rise of the Social Entrepreneur, London: Demos, published 2001, →ISBN, page 67:
2. (idiomatic) A series of positive events where each event leads to the next, creating a self-sustaining cycle of improvement and success.

Forms

Antonyms

vicious circle · vicious cycle

Relateds

positive feedback

Synonyms

virtuous spiral · virtuous cycle

Translations (21)

nb god sirkel (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · cmn 良性循環 /良性循环 (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · es círculo virtuoso (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · pt círculo virtuoso (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · ka სასიკეთო წრე (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · ka სათნო წრე (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · ru доброде́тельный круг (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · nl virtueuze cirkel (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · pl koło sukcesu (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · fi hyvän kehä (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · es ciclo virtuoso (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · la circulus virtuōsus (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · io vertuoza cirklo (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · ko 선순환 (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · el ενάρετος κύκλος (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · fr cercle vertueux (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · da god cirkel (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · it circolo virtuoso (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · ru благотво́рный круг (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · ja 好循環 (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve) · ca cercle virtuós (a situation in which the solution to one problem makes each future problem easier to solve)