Standard Lemma guide

recurrence

noun · 5 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.

  • General-American: /rəˈkɝ.əns/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH0 K ER1 AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: R IY0 K ER1 AH0 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Return or reversion to a certain state.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The instance of recurring; frequent occurrence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonym: relapse

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: relapse

Antonyms: remission

4

noun

Meaning 4

Recourse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

happening again (especially at regular intervals)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the return of spring

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: return

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: repeat, repetition

Narrower terms: atavism, reversion, throwback, flashback

History

Etymology

From recurrent + -ence, cognate with Latin recurrentia, from recurrēns (“returning back, recurring”), form of recurrō (“to return, to recur”) (English recur).

Across languages

Translations

37 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: връщане (vrǎštane) — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Bulgarian: повторение (povtorenie) — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Esperanto: reokazo — return or reversion to a certain state
  • French: récurrence — return or reversion to a certain state
  • German: Rückfall — return or reversion to a certain state
  • German: Wiederholung — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Japanese: 回帰 (kaiki) — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Japanese: 復帰 (fukki) — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Portuguese: reversão — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Portuguese: retorno — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Portuguese: volta — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Romanian: repetare — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Romanian: reîncepere — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Romanian: reîntoarcere — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Russian: возвраще́ние (vozvraščénije) — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Russian: повторе́ние (povtorénije) — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Spanish: recurrencia — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Ottoman Turkish: تكرار (tekrar) — return or reversion to a certain state
  • Bulgarian: повторение (povtorenie) — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • French: récurrence — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • German: Rekurrenz — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • German: Rückfall — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • Japanese: 再現 (saigen) — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • Japanese: 再発 (saihatsu) — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • Manx: aahaghyrt — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • Portuguese: recorrência — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • Russian: рециди́в (recidív) — the instance of recurring; frequent occurrence
  • Bulgarian: рецидив (recidiv) — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • Finnish: uusiutuma — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • Finnish: uusiutuminen — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • French: récurrence — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • German: Rekurrenz — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • German: Rückfall — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • Japanese: 再発 (saihatsu) — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • Māori: matahoki — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • Portuguese: recorrência — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
  • Spanish: recaída — a return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease
Real reading context

recurrence in complete knowledge articles