diff --git a/qiskit/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/clifford_circuits.py b/qiskit/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/clifford_circuits.py
index 60b62862f152..699a8b087b23 100644
--- a/qiskit/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/clifford_circuits.py
+++ b/qiskit/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/clifford_circuits.py
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@
 """
 Circuit simulation for the Clifford class.
 """
+
 from __future__ import annotations
-import copy
+
 import numpy as np
 
 from qiskit.circuit import Barrier, Delay, Gate
@@ -21,14 +22,13 @@
 from qiskit.exceptions import QiskitError
 
 
-def _append_circuit(clifford, circuit, qargs=None, recursion_depth=0):
+def _append_circuit(clifford, circuit, qargs=None):
     """Update Clifford inplace by applying a Clifford circuit.
 
     Args:
         clifford (Clifford): The Clifford to update.
         circuit (QuantumCircuit): The circuit to apply.
         qargs (list or None): The qubits to apply circuit to.
-        recursion_depth (int): The depth of mutual recursion with _append_operation
 
     Returns:
         Clifford: the updated Clifford.
@@ -46,18 +46,17 @@ def _append_circuit(clifford, circuit, qargs=None, recursion_depth=0):
             )
         # Get the integer position of the flat register
         new_qubits = [qargs[circuit.find_bit(bit).index] for bit in instruction.qubits]
-        clifford = _append_operation(clifford, instruction.operation, new_qubits, recursion_depth)
+        clifford = _append_operation(clifford, instruction.operation, new_qubits)
     return clifford
 
 
-def _append_operation(clifford, operation, qargs=None, recursion_depth=0):
+def _append_operation(clifford, operation, qargs=None):
     """Update Clifford inplace by applying a Clifford operation.
 
     Args:
         clifford (Clifford): The Clifford to update.
         operation (Instruction or Clifford or str): The operation or composite operation to apply.
         qargs (list or None): The qubits to apply operation to.
-        recursion_depth (int): The depth of mutual recursion with _append_circuit
 
     Returns:
         Clifford: the updated Clifford.
@@ -135,16 +134,10 @@ def _append_operation(clifford, operation, qargs=None, recursion_depth=0):
     # This succeeds only if the gate has all-Clifford definition (decomposition).
     # If fails, we need to restore the clifford that was before attempting to unroll and append.
     if gate.definition is not None:
-        if recursion_depth > 0:
-            return _append_circuit(clifford, gate.definition, qargs, recursion_depth + 1)
-        else:  # recursion_depth == 0
-            # clifford may be updated in _append_circuit
-            org_clifford = copy.deepcopy(clifford)
-            try:
-                return _append_circuit(clifford, gate.definition, qargs, 1)
-            except (QiskitError, RecursionError):
-                # discard incompletely updated clifford and continue
-                clifford = org_clifford
+        try:
+            return _append_circuit(clifford.copy(), gate.definition, qargs)
+        except QiskitError:
+            pass
 
     # As a final attempt, if the gate is up to 3 qubits,
     # we try to construct a Clifford to be appended from its matrix representation.
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/clifford-no-circuly-c7c4a1c9c5472af7.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/clifford-no-circuly-c7c4a1c9c5472af7.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5fb80275a98c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/clifford-no-circuly-c7c4a1c9c5472af7.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+upgrade:
+  - |
+    :meth:`.Clifford.from_circuit` will no longer attempt to resolve instructions whose
+    :attr:`~.circuit.Instruction.definition` fields are mutually recursive with some other object.
+    Such recursive definitions are already a violation of the strictly hierarchical ordering that
+    the :attr:`~.circuit.Instruction.definition` field requires, and code should not rely on this
+    being possible at all.  If you want to define equivalences that are permitted to have (mutual)
+    cycles, use an :class:`.EquivalenceLibrary`.
diff --git a/test/python/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/test_clifford.py b/test/python/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/test_clifford.py
index b1b606ea12d7..74507b1dc453 100644
--- a/test/python/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/test_clifford.py
+++ b/test/python/quantum_info/operators/symplectic/test_clifford.py
@@ -555,39 +555,6 @@ def test_from_circuit_with_all_types(self):
         expected_clifford = Clifford.from_dict(expected_clifford_dict)
         self.assertEqual(combined_clifford, expected_clifford)
 
-    def test_from_gate_with_cyclic_definition(self):
-        """Test if a Clifford can be created from gate with cyclic definition"""
-
-        class MyHGate(HGate):
-            """Custom HGate class for test"""
-
-            def __init__(self):
-                super().__init__()
-                self.name = "my_h"
-
-            def _define(self):
-                qc = QuantumCircuit(1, name=self.name)
-                qc.s(0)
-                qc.append(MySXGate(), [0])
-                qc.s(0)
-                self.definition = qc
-
-        class MySXGate(SXGate):
-            """Custom SXGate class for test"""
-
-            def __init__(self):
-                super().__init__()
-                self.name = "my_sx"
-
-            def _define(self):
-                qc = QuantumCircuit(1, name=self.name)
-                qc.sdg(0)
-                qc.append(MyHGate(), [0])
-                qc.sdg(0)
-                self.definition = qc
-
-        Clifford(MyHGate())
-
 
 @ddt
 class TestCliffordSynthesis(QiskitTestCase):