as in reversion
the act or an instance of returning to a usually worse state or condition
She discussed some ways to help avoid a relapse after quitting smoking. After a long period of cancer remission, he suffered a relapse.
Related Words
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Dissimilar Words
as in to revert
to return to a usually worse state or condition
After a few good months of keeping their rooms clean, the kids relapsed into their old untidy habits.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of relapse
Jon Hamilton, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
Throughout college, Reid’s medications provided fleeting relief, followed by relapses that left her bedridden at home.
—Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
Ziyad Al-Aly, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2026
Other observational studies have linked GLP-1 drugs to lower rates of new and recurring alcohol use disorder, reduced diagnoses and relapse in cannabis use disorder, fewer health care visits for nicotine dependence and lower risk of opioid overdose.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for relapse
Noun
Some medications, like naltrexone and buprenorphine, are used specifically to prevent relapse in people trying to recover from opioid use disorder.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
Throughout college, Reid’s medications provided fleeting relief, followed by relapses that left her bedridden at home.
—Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
Other observational studies have linked GLP-1 drugs to lower rates of new and recurring alcohol use disorder, reduced diagnoses and relapse in cannabis use disorder, fewer health care visits for nicotine dependence and lower risk of opioid overdose.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2026
Other observational studies have linked GLP-1 drugs to lower rates of new and recurring alcohol use disorder, reduced diagnoses and relapse in cannabis use disorder, fewer health care visits for nicotine dependence and lower risk of opioid overdose.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for relapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapse
Noun
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Approaches such as momentum trading, mean reversion, and hedging can be applied.—
Felysha Walker,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
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What once looked like a high-margin growth story is now at risk of becoming a margin reversion story.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That also means that either reverting BIOS settings or performing an OS reset is possible.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Huskers took a brief pause from their doldrums to summon up a home win against Minnesota only to revert back to losing, dropping four more in a row.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Although extremely rare, a condition called rhabdomyolysis can occur when your kidneys are overwhelmed with particles from muscle breakdown and can cause permanent kidney damage.—
Brad Stulberg,
Outside,
26 Mar. 2026
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As rising global temperatures threaten the polar ice floes, loud and previously-unknown sounds from the breakdown of ice are becoming more frequent, impacting polar ecosystems.—
Andrew Coletti,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This paycheck only includes pay for the second week of February, as government funding for the agency lapsed on February 14.—
Graham Hurley,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
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Trump’s nomination of Nick Adams as Ambassador caused protests in Malaysia, and ultimately lapsed in the Senate.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The investment bank increased the probability of a recession over the next year to 30%.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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If the Iran war drags on for months, the outlook could quickly darken, setting off a downward economic spiral as falling stocks give way to weaker spending and, ultimately, a recession.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Framed as deregulation, the bill sets a statewide minimum lot size of 1,500 square feet while also shrinking setbacks and eliminating dimensional requirements that could stand in the way of building multiple compact homes on at least four acres of land.—
Mark Dee
March 28,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
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But even with the weather setback, these trees continue to persist.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Colorado State Patrol is launching a new awareness campaign in April, highlighting common causes of crashes due to distracted driving.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
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According to the Board of Estimates agenda, Fletcher was injured in the crash as well.—
Chevall Pryce,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Bulls have been careening toward this turning point in the season since the trade deadline, which kickstarted a 5-16 collapse as the front office (temporarily) gave up on the postseason.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason — a collapse that still stings for fans.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relapse. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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