as in reverted
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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Recent Examples of relapsed
Daniel, like Tim and many others, sought help for addiction before and relapsed often.
—
Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
At one point, after Paul has relapsed, Catt comes home and catches a woman sneaking out of their house.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Father Joe’s did not have a breakdown of where the remaining 190 or so ended up, although leaders noted that some participants had repeatedly relapsed.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
At a cocktail reception the night before, Borg had relapsed on drugs after struggling with addiction in the '80s.
—Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Both were treated with heavy antibiotic regimens and recovered, though patient 2 relapsed in November, requiring another hospital stay.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Having relapsed several times, Gabaldon aims to be a mentor so that his customers do not just end up in jail or undergo rehabilitation and are left to fend for themselves after that.
—Jorge Garcia, Reuters, 21 Aug. 2025
Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025
At one point, after Paul has relapsed, Catt comes home and catches a woman sneaking out of their house.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Father Joe’s did not have a breakdown of where the remaining 190 or so ended up, although leaders noted that some participants had repeatedly relapsed.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025
At a cocktail reception the night before, Borg had relapsed on drugs after struggling with addiction in the '80s.
—Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Both were treated with heavy antibiotic regimens and recovered, though patient 2 relapsed in November, requiring another hospital stay.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2025
Having relapsed several times, Gabaldon aims to be a mentor so that his customers do not just end up in jail or undergo rehabilitation and are left to fend for themselves after that.
—Jorge Garcia, Reuters, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapsed
Verb
-
Trump quickly reverted back to Boston, before taking one final question in the Oval Office.—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
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My makeup routine hasn’t completely reverted.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That could upend people’s ability to buy food on an unprecedented scale — the program has not lapsed during any government shutdown in recent history.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
23 Oct. 2025
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But a coordinated national assessment of trends is a necessary part of preparedness, experts say, and that has lapsed.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Relapsed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relapsed. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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