ebbs and flows
Cycles of change
Ebbs and flows describes cyclical patterns of increase and decrease, rise and fall.
The phrase comes from tidal movement—water flowing in and ebbing out—but applies to anything that fluctuates naturally over time: the ebbs and flows of public opinion, the ebbs and flows of a long marriage.
The rhythm implies these changes are normal, even inevitable.
- fluctuatesVaries irregularly over time
- rise and fallCyclical upward-downward movement
- tideOcean's cyclical swell
- high tideMaximum sea level
- waveOscillating motion through medium
cycle · life cycles · seasons · oscillation · flux · varies · ups and downs · rhythm · change · decline · swell · undulation · surge · ocean currents · ebb · wax and wane · mood swings · periodicity
ebbs and flowsconstancy
Unchanging faithfulness over time
stability · steadiness · unchanging · invariability · consistency
ebbs and flowsreliability
Consistent, predictable performance
dependability · regularity · predictability · certainty · clockwork precision
ebbs and flowsstasis
State of inactivity
stagnation · stillness · motionlessness · inertia · dormancy
flow, ebbed, ebbing, flowed, flowing, flows, overflow, overflowed, overflowing