relapse

CEFRC1

/ɹɪˈlæps/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A return to an illness or bad habit after improvement.

  2. 02

    verb

    To become ill or return to a bad habit again.

Examples

  • The patient suffered a sudden relapse after weeks of improvement.

  • Sami had a drug relapse.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
3

Also pronounced

  • /ˈɹiːˌlæps/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To recur; to worsen, be aggravated (after a period of improvement).

  2. To return to a vice, especially self-harm or alcoholism, failing to maintain abstinence.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To fall back again; to slide or turn back into a former state or practice.

More examples

In context

  • He has improved recently but keeps relapsing into states of utter confusion.

  • to relapse into a stupor, into vice, or into barbarism

  • to relapse into slumber after being disturbed

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The patient suffered a serious blank due to stopping medication too early.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Latin relapsus, past participle of relabi (“to slide back, fall back”), from re- (“back”) + labi (“to slip, slide, fall”).