What does "ugly cycle" mean? Does it refer to a "vicious cycle"? If so, could you tell me some examples?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Absolutely! "Vicious cycle" also works nicely here. Either way, the speaker is trying to express that the cycle is negative and undesirable. Ex: Many children who grow up in abusive families grow up to display the same behavior as adults. It's a rather vicious cycle. Ex: My friend's boyfriend is a habitual liar. They break up and get back together constantly. It's an ugly cycle.

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