RELAPSES Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

relapses 1 of 2

noun

plural of relapse

as in breakdowns

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.

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relapses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of relapse

as in reverts

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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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 relapses

Noun

Also inexplicable is the movie’s setting circa the dawn of COVID, where masks and quarantine come into play — though for many out there, that was surely a time when relapses were around the bend, the temptation of a bender without judgment and out of view very easily had. —

Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2026 Her therapist’s harm-reduction tactics helped at times, but the relapses kept coming. —

Lev Facher, STAT, 14 May 2026 Using her blog, social media and strategically shot selfies, Amanda claimed to be battling Hodgkin's lymphoma, alternating between remission and relapses at least four times from 2012 to 2016. —

Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026 Meanwhile another trial that was double-blind examined the use of ibogaine for reducing cocaine cravings and found fewer relapses in the drug group compared with the placebo group. —

Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2026 That lasts for at least five years for about half of all people with Crohn's who are treated properly, according to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, though occasional relapses are not unusual. —

Korin Miller, SELF, 31 Mar. 2026 Studies show that adults with anxiety and untreated ADHD suffer greater functional impairment and more frequent relapses, meaning their severe anxiety or depressive episodes keep returning despite therapy or medication. —

Deldhy Nicolás Moya Sánchez, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026 In these cases, people have unpredictable attacks and temporary relapses followed by a period of recovery. —

Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 15 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

The story takes quite a few turns, like when the father of Margo’s child and Margo’s former English professor, Mark Gable (Michael Angarano), challenges her for custody of baby Bodhi and when her father tragically relapses into drug addiction towards the end of Season 1. —

Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 13 May 2026 Cody and Jack’s sister Katrina (Emily Meade) is barely mentioned until Cody relapses and breaks into her house to pass out on her couch. —

Katie Rife, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapses

Noun

It has been cited seven times by the AQMD since 2012 for such things as failing to report breakdowns and failing to maintain a system that measures and records temperatures.

— Jason Henry, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
Midfielder Onni Valakari framed the mistakes less as individual breakdowns than collective failures.

— Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026