procyclical

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adjective

Moving in the same direction as the overall state of an economy

“The employment rate is procyclical, when the economy is doing well more people are working, when it's not doing well, fewer people are working.”

Opposite
countercyclical
OriginEnglish cyclical ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Classical Latin cyclicus →
RareScrabble 22
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Meanings

adjectiveprocyclical (comparative more procyclical, superlative most procyclical)

comparative more procyclical · superlative most procyclical

  1. economicsMoving in the same direction as the overall state of an economy

    The employment rate is procyclical, when the economy is doing well more people are working, when it's not doing well, fewer people are working.

  2. public policyMagnifying the cyclical fluctuations of an economy.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
countercyclical

Origin

  1. Englishpro-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷelh₁-redup.
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kʷékʷlos
  4. Proto-Hellenic*kʷókʷlos
  5. Proto-Hellenic*kúklos
  6. Ancient Greekκύκλος (kúklos)
  7. Ancient Greekκυκλῐκός (kuklĭkós)
  8. Classical Latincyclicu
  9. Middle Frenchcyclique
  10. Frenchcyclique
  11. Classical Latincyclicus
  12. Englishcyclic
  13. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  15. Englishcyclical
  16. Englishprocyclical

From pro- + cyclical.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

procyclical. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procyclical

MLA

“procyclical.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procyclical. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “procyclical,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/procyclical.

Source: procyclical on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.