backslide

verb

back·​slide ˈbak-ˌslīd 

backslid ˈbak-ˌslid  ; backslid or backslidden ˈbak-ˌsli-dᵊn  ; backsliding ˈbak-ˌslī-diŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to lapse morally or in the practice of religion

2

: to revert to a worse condition : retrogress

backslide noun

backslider

ˈbak-ˌslī-dər 

noun

Examples of backslide in a Sentence

Smokers who quit often backslide within a year.

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s how Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán consolidated control of the media in his country, according to scholars who witnessed Hungary’s democratic backsliding firsthand. —Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025

But now, America is dangerously backsliding. —Jason Kane, NBC news, 15 Sep. 2025

Mercenaries are ideal disruptors in a post-truth reality marked by democratic backsliding and grey-zone warfare. —Alia Brahimi, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

These series reject the streamer bloat of our last decade and rip through story, embracing the breakneck pacing and dynamic rhythms of soap operas while also plunging into of-the-moment anxiety over backsliding feminist gains and uncertainty about exactly what kind of womanhood is aspirational. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1554, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for backslide

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied

Kids Definition

backslide

verb

back·​slide ˈbak-ˌslīd 

backslid -ˌslid  ; backslid or backslidden -ˌslid-ᵊn  ; backsliding -ˌslīd-iŋ 

1

: to go back to a less religious or less moral condition

2

: to go back to a worse condition

backslide noun

backslider

-ˌslīd-ər 

noun