Standard Lemma guide

recidivist

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɹɪˈsɪdɪvɪst/ weak vowel distinction
  • /ɹɪˈsɪdəvɪst/ weak vowel merger
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R AH0 S IH1 D IH0 V IH2 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Tending to fall back into prior habits, especially criminal habits.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: recidive, recidivous

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: repeat offender

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: backslider, reversionist

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: wrongdoer, offender

4

noun

Meaning 4

someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior (especially for the same criminal behavior)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: repeater, habitual criminal

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor

History

Etymology

From French récidiviste, from Latin recidīvus (“returning, recurring”). Compare recidivous, -ist. By surface analysis, recidive + -ist.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: рецидиви́ст (recidivíst) — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Bulgarian: рецидиви́стка (recidivístka) — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Czech: recidivista — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Danish: recidivist — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Dutch: recidivist — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • French: récidiviste — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • German: Wiederholungstäter — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • German: Wiederholungstäterin — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Indonesian: residivis — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Italian: recidivo — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Macedonian: рецидиви́ст (recidivíst) — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Macedonian: рецидиви́стка (recidivístka) — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Manx: cooyl-skyrraghtagh — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Manx: aahuittymagh — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Polish: recydywista — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Polish: recydywistka — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Portuguese: reincidente — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Portuguese: recidivista — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Russian: рецидиви́ст (recidivíst) — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Russian: рецидиви́стка (recidivístka) — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits
  • Spanish: reincidente — one who falls back into prior habits, especially criminal habits