anticyclically
|an-ti-cyc-li-cal-ly|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tiˈsɪk.lɪ.kəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˈsɪk.lɪ.kəl/
(anticyclical)
against the cycle
Etymology
'anticyclically' is formed in modern English from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-' meaning 'against') combined with 'cyclical' (from 'cycle', ultimately from Greek 'kyklos' meaning 'circle').
'cycle' comes from Greek 'kyklos' via Latin and Old French into Middle English; 'cyclical' developed as the adjective meaning 'relating to a cycle'; the prefix 'anti-' was attached in English to form 'anticyclical', and later the adverbial suffix '-ly' produced 'anticyclically'.
Originally built simply to mean 'against or opposing a cycle', it has come to be used specifically in contexts (notably economics) to mean 'operating or occurring opposite to the current phase of a cycle'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adverb 1
in a manner opposite to the regular cycle (especially used about economic or business cycles) — counter to the current phase of the cycle.
The government acted anticyclically, increasing spending when private demand fell.
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Adverb 2
out of phase with a recurring pattern or sequence; occurring at a time that opposes the expected cyclic trend.
Temperatures this season moved anticyclically to historical patterns, peaking when they typically drop.
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Last updated: 2025/08/28 22:01