Virtuous cycle
Etymology
From "virtuous" (Latin "virtus," excellence, worth) and "cycle," coined as the positive counterpart to the older "vicious cycle." The pairing deliberately swaps the negative term for its opposite while keeping the imagery of a loop that feeds itself.
noun phrase · /VUR-choo-uhs SY-kuhl/
A self-reinforcing sequence in which each good outcome improves the conditions that produced it, driving the situation further upward.
What it names
An upward feedback loop, capturing how success can compound and build on itself rather than plateau.
Example
Better tools drew better engineers, whose work improved the tools further — a virtuous cycle of talent and quality.
Related idea
The bright mirror of the vicious cycle, differing only in direction: both are self-reinforcing loops, but here each turn improves conditions rather than degrading them. Both are particular cases of a feedback loop, which by itself is neutral about whether it lifts or sinks.