vicious circle
noun
- (in demonstration) the use of each of two propositions to establish the other.
- (in definition) the use of each of two terms to define the other.
Origin of vicious circle
Words nearby vicious circle
Example sentences from the Web for vicious circle
Arguments which are condemned by the vicious-circle principle will be called ‘vicious-circle fallacies.’
The philosophy of B*rtr*nd R*ss*ll |Various
British Dictionary definitions for vicious circle
noun
- a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is inferred from premises the truth of which cannot be established independently of that conclusion
- an explanation given in terms that cannot be understood independently of that which was to be explained
- a situation in which some statement is shown to entail its negation and vice versa, as this statement is false is true only if false and false only if true
Medical definitions for vicious circle
n.
Cultural definitions for vicious circle
A series of reactions that compound an initial unfortunate occurrence or situation: “A person who is overweight is likely to feel frustrated and to deal with this frustration by eating more; it's a vicious circle.”
Idioms and Phrases with vicious circle
A series of events in which each problem creates another and worsens the original one. For example, The fatter I get, the unhappier I am, so I eat to cheer myself up, which makes me fatter yet—it's a vicious circle. This expression comes from the French cercle vicieux, which in philosophy means “a circular proof”—that is, the proof of one statement depends on a second statement, whose proof in turn depends on the first. One writer suggests that the English meaning of “vicious” helped the expression acquire its more pejorative present sense, used since 1839.