recidivist

noun

re·​cid·​i·​vist ri-ˈsi-də-vist 

: one who relapses

specifically : a habitual criminal

recidivist adjective

recidivistic

ri-ˌsi-də-ˈvi-stik 

adjective

Examples of recidivist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Listen to this article A recidivist New York City thief with more than 100 arrests on his rap sheet, who was involved in nine shoplifting cases from February through April, according to cops, was cuffed again Thursday at a Greenwich Village subway station, the Daily News has learned. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025

Three recidivist restaurants, rodents and the usual abundance of roaches highlight the return of the Sick and Shut Down List, the Miami metropolitan area restaurants that inspectors closed. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025

It’s also got to help that Tisch has gotten hundreds of officers out of desk jobs and into the streets, and most of all is focusing police on the recidivists who commit the lion’s share of violent crime using every tool the department’s got. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025

Monday, Tisch said the city has a stubborn problem with recidivists. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French récidiviste, from récidiver "to reappear (of a disease, tumor, etc.), do over, commit a second criminal offense" (going back to Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin recidīvāre "to relapse into sin or crime") + -iste -ist entry 1 — more at recidivate

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for recidivist

• numismatist
• photoresist
• podiatrist
• positivist
• relativist
• theosophist
• ventriloquist
• assist
• blacklist
• booklist
• checklist
• consist

Medical Definition

recidivist

noun

re·​cid·​i·​vist -vəst 

: one who relapses into a previous behavior or condition

especially : a habitual criminal

recidivist adjective

recidivistic

-ˌsid-ə-ˈvis-tik 

adjective

Legal Definition

recidivist

noun

re·​cid·​i·​vist ri-ˈsi-də-vist 

: an habitual criminal

recidivist adjective

recidivistic

ri-ˌsi-də-ˈvis-tik 

adjective