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
Relevance
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
Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Moderna’s vaccine against metastatic melanoma in combination with Merck’s Keytruda slowed relapse and death by 51% after five years, which is in line with the three-year data the companies published in 2024.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Lucas Waldron, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2026
After the transplant, the cancer went into remission but soon relapsed.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relapse
Noun
For these individuals, even small amounts of alcohol can trigger relapse.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
Moderna’s vaccine against metastatic melanoma in combination with Merck’s Keytruda slowed relapse and death by 51% after five years, which is in line with the three-year data the companies published in 2024.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Herrera admits she’s relapsed at times.
—Lucas Waldron, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2026
After the transplant, the cancer went into remission but soon relapsed.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for relapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapse
Noun
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Investing in stocks with low valuations or those trading considerably below their peak values while still maintaining strong margins affords investors the chance to benefit from mean reversion and potential re-rating of valuations.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Many factor studies are most robust at roughly monthly horizons because fundamental and positioning data updates occur on that cadence, and because mean reversion is more likely to occur over weeks than over days, the duration aligns naturally with options trading frequency and maintenance.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Conversely, a continual underperformance in revenue and operating income growth for Tapestry would strengthen the assertion that the stock is overpriced in relation to its competitors, yet might not revert soon.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Stoutmire reverted back to his comfort factor with the Razorback staff when asked what stood out about his trip to Fayetteville.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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See video … LISTEN Tune in for a breakdown of new polling showing voters uneasy with aggressive ICE tactics and that the White House is not focused enough on inflation and affordability.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Schnell said his department has repeatedly asked DHS to provide underlying data, methodologies or jurisdictional breakdowns but has received no response.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That authorization has since lapsed.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
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This past fall, those struggles intensified when SNAP benefits lapsed during the government shutdown.—
Talia Kaplan,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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After more than a decade of success, the 2000s saw a recession that some thought might spell the end of the space sim genre.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Bazinet wrote the fall wasn't due to fundamentals, but rather a rotation out of tech stocks that were more insulated from headwinds early in 2025 like tariffs, artificial intelligence risks and recession concerns.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Snapp, the drug policy researcher, insists that Mexico’s ban is a setback by removing a safer alternative to cigarettes.—
María Verza,
Fortune,
31 Jan. 2026
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The greater setback was at the senior Red Bull team after Isack Hadjar, who stepped up from Racing Bulls for 2026, crashed in just his second day behind the wheel of the RB22 car.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Local media cited poor visibility as a possible cause of the crash, which is being investigated by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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But what’s actually happening mirrors the post dot-com crash era, where independent creators are doubling down and building new and groundbreaking applications.—
Cortney Harding,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Video of the collapse, which shows the structure tumbling like a house of cards, quickly spread like wildfire online.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Even collapse felt easier in motion than rotting in that cabin.—
Nick Dothée,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relapse. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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