From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishvicious circleˌvicious ˈcircle (also vicious cycle) noun [singular] PROBLEMa situation in which one problem causes another problem, that then causes the first problem again, so that the whole process continues to be repeated
Examples from the Corpus
vicious circle• The whole sorry affair became a vicious circle.• Many are in a vicious circle of mismanagement and underfunding, as governments, fed up with incompetence, squeeze their cash.• Poor care in turn begat defensiveness and so on, in a vicious circle.• Abused children often grow up to abuse their own children - it's a vicious circle.• I had to destroy, once and for all, the vicious circle of poverty and economic stagnation.• Think of the vicious circle of hyperventilation.• This vicious circle is more precisely specified in Chapter 7. 