recidivist

noun

Definition of recidivistnext
as in offender
formal a person who continues to commit crimes even after being caught and punished

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of recidivist Electronic monitoring and house arrest are heavily weighted as options for certain recidivist offenders. — Greg Norman , Charles Creitz, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2025 Gerald Ford, who was President during the peak of the arson wave, publicly mentioned the Bronx just once, to go by the American Presidency Project, and that was to commend Merola’s office for locking up recidivists. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025 Another inspection list recidivist in March, Sang’s is a member of Miami-Dade’s Wretched Restaurant Row, restaurants along 167th Street/163rd Street that have failed inspection, often with an earth’s core deep level of disgusting violations. — David J. Neal updated August 8, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2025 Yet this seemingly entirely unnecessary act of recidivist safeguarding was how Tristan da Cunha came to be populated. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for recidivist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recidivist
  1. offender
  2. criminal
  3. lawbreaker
  4. misdemeanant
Noun
  • Dismissal of the charges follows 51-year-old Vem Miller’s completion of a county program that allows first-time, low-level offenders to have their criminal charges dropped and arrest records sealed after completing a set of requirements.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • If developmental science justifies treating adolescent offenders differently from adults, then that same science should also inform how Connecticut recognizes, protects, and supports adolescent victims.
    — Keith Wortz, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of offender
Noun
  • Spencer says filmmaker Douglas wanted to very much focus mostly on the women rather than talking about the criminals.
    — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Depending on the plan, monitoring may cover credit activity, financial accounts, investment and retirement accounts, phone takeovers, SIM swaps, utility accounts and other areas where criminals may try to use your identity.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of criminal
Noun
  • The Common Law principles that shape sentencing are about accountability for the lawbreaker’s actions.
    — DP Opinion, Denver Post, 23 May 2026
  • Rollins is running for a job in justice, ostensibly to uphold the law and hold lawbreakers accountable.
    — Boston Herald editorial staff, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of lawbreaker
Noun
  • The Northern Neck Regional Jail, where Paul Manafort will spend at least the next three months while awaiting trial, has the outward appearance of being a small local jail holding street thugs and assorted misdemeanants.
    — Tom Jackman, chicagotribune.com, 16 June 2018
Definition of misdemeanant

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rechristens
recidivist
recidivists
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Cite this Entry

“Recidivist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recidivist. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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