Standard Lemma guide

recrudescence

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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹiːkɹuːˈdɛs(ə)ns/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹɛ-/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˌɹikɹuˈdɛs(ə)ns/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The condition or state being recrudescent; the condition of something (often undesirable) breaking out again, or re-emerging after temporary abatement or suppression.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: recrudency, reincrudation

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The production of a fresh shoot from a ripened spike.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a return of something after a period of abatement

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a recrudescence of racism
  • a recrudescence of the symptoms

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: outbreak, eruption, irruption

History

Etymology

From Late Latin recrūdēscentia, from Latin recrūdēscēns, present participle of recrūdēscere (“to recrudesce”), from recrūdēscō (“(of a wound) to break open again; (of a fight, sedition,...) to break out again, be rekindled”); from re- (“again”) + crūdēscō (“to grow harsh or violent; to become worse”) (from crūdus (“bleeding, bloody, raw”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krewh2- (“blood outside the body”)) + -ēscō (suffix forming verbs indicating a becoming of something)). The word is cognate with French recrudescence, Italian recrudescenza, Spanish recrudescencia, recrudecimiento.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • German: Wiedererstarken — condition or state of being recrudescent
  • Bulgarian: рецидив (recidiv) — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • French: recrudescence — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Georgian: რეციდივი (recidivi) — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Greek: επανεμφάνιση (epanemfánisi) — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Greek: υποτροπή (ypotropí) — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Italian: recrudescenza — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Russian: рециди́в (recidív) — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Russian: обостре́ние (obostrénije) — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Spanish: recrudecimiento — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement
  • Spanish: recrudescencia — acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement