recidivism
noun
Did you know?
The re- in recidivism is the same re- in relapse and return, and like those words recidivism is about going back: it’s a tendency to relapse, especially into criminal behavior. Recidivism is a 19th century French borrowing that’s ultimately from a Latin word meaning “to relapse into sin or crime.” In borrowing recidivism, English was itself engaging in a kind of recidivism: the same Latin source of recidivism had been nabbed in the 16th century to form the much less common recidivate, meaning “to fall into or exhibit recidivism.”
Examples of recidivism in a Sentence
Natalie Madeira Cofield, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
That incident strengthened his resolve to use his pizza shop as a tool to reduce recidivism rates, employing only formerly incarcerated people.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Instead of leveraging federal efforts to reduce recidivism, state agencies reinvent the wheel, adding unnecessary costs and delaying economic reintegration.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Harry and Hyatt are both keen to learn whether the model can reduce recidivism.
—Byjennifer Couzin-Frankel, science.org, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recidivism
Cite this Entry
“Recidivism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recidivism. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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recidivism
noun
A. E. Kazdin et al.Legal Definition
recidivism
noun
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