Standard Lemma guide

relapse

noun · verb · 10 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.

  • /ɹɪˈlæps/
  • /ˈɹiːˌlæps/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æps
  • CMU ARPABET: R IY0 L AE1 P S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act or situation of relapsing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a drug relapse

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An occasion when a person becomes ill again after a period of improvement

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

One who has relapsed, or fallen back into error; a backslider.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To fall back again; to slide or turn back into a former state or practice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • He has improved recently but keeps relapsing into states of utter confusion.
  • to relapse into a stupor, into vice, or into barbarism
  • to relapse into slumber after being disturbed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To recur; to worsen, be aggravated (after a period of improvement).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To return to a vice, especially self-harm or alcoholism, failing to maintain abstinence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, intransitive, specifically

Examples

  • relapsed after 5 months of being clean

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To slip or slide back physically; to turn back.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

a failure to maintain a higher state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: backsliding, lapse, lapsing, relapsing, reversion, reverting

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: failure

Narrower terms: recidivism

9

verb

Meaning 9

go back to bad behavior

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Those who recidivate are often minor criminals

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lapse, recidivate, regress, retrogress, fall back

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: revert, return, retrovert, regress, turn back

10

verb

Meaning 10

deteriorate in health

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he relapsed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: get worse

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change state, turn

History

Etymology

From Latin relapsus, past participle of relabi (“to slide back, fall back”), from re- (“back”) + labi (“to slip, slide, fall”).

Across languages

Translations

93 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Central Bikol: baghat — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Bulgarian: рециди́в (recidív) — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Catalan: recaiguda — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Catalan: recidiva — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Catalan: reincidència — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Cebuano: bughat — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Choctaw: afilema — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Czech: recidiva — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Czech: ataka — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Czech: relaps — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Dutch: terugval — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Esperanto: refalo — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Finnish: uudelleen lankeaminen — the act or situation of relapsing
  • French: rechute — the act or situation of relapsing
  • French: récidive — the act or situation of relapsing
  • German: Rückfall — the act or situation of relapsing
  • German: Rezidiv — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Hungarian: visszaesés — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Hungarian: rosszabbodás — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Hungarian: romlás — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Hungarian: állapotromlás — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Hungarian: relapszus — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Interlingua: recadita — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Italian: ricaduta — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Italian: recidiva — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Macedonian: рециди́в (recidív) — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Manx: aahuittym — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Manx: aaghoghan — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Māori: matahoki — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Polish: nawrót — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Polish: wznowa — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Portuguese: recaída — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Portuguese: relapso — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Russian: рециди́в (recidív) — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Scottish Gaelic: ath-thuisleachadh — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Scottish Gaelic: ath-thuiteam — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Spanish: recaída — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Spanish: recidiva — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Spanish: reincidencia — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Swedish: recidiv — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Swedish: återfall — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Tagalog: binat — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Ukrainian: рециди́в (recydýv) — the act or situation of relapsing
  • Catalan: recaure — To fall back again
  • Dutch: hervallen — To fall back again
  • Esperanto: refali — To fall back again
  • Finnish: kokea takaisku — To fall back again
  • Finnish: langeta uudelleen — To fall back again
  • Finnish: langeta — To fall back again
  • French: rechuter — To fall back again
  • German: zurückfallen — To fall back again
  • Hungarian: visszaesik — To fall back again
  • Interlingua: recader — To fall back again
  • Italian: ricadere — To fall back again
  • Italian: recidivare — To fall back again
  • Macedonian: па́дне (pádne) — To fall back again
  • Macedonian: па́ѓа (páǵa) — To fall back again
  • Macedonian: се вра́ти (se vráti) — To fall back again
  • Portuguese: reincidir — To fall back again
  • Portuguese: recair — To fall back again
  • Quechua: huchachakuy — To fall back again
  • Romanian: recidiva — To fall back again
  • Russian: впадать (vpadatʹ) — To fall back again
  • Scottish Gaelic: ath-thuislich — To fall back again
  • Scottish Gaelic: ath-thuit — To fall back again
  • Spanish: reincidir — To fall back again
  • Spanish: recaer — To fall back again
  • Swedish: återfall — To fall back again
  • Central Bikol: baghat — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Bulgarian: влошавам се (vlošavam se) — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Catalan: recaure — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Cebuano: bughat — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Dutch: hervallen — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Finnish: uusiutua — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Finnish: paheta (to worsen) — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Finnish: pahentua — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • German: sich verschlimmern — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • German: sich verschlechtern — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Greek: υποτροπιάζω (ypotropiázo) — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Hungarian: rosszabbodik — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Italian: recidivare — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Japanese: ぶり返す (burikaesu) — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Macedonian: се вло́ши (se vlóši) — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Manx: aahuitt — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Manx: aaskyrr — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Māori: matahoki — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Portuguese: recair — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Russian: обостряться (obostrjatʹsja) — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Russian: рецидивировать (recidivirovatʹ) — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Spanish: recaer — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Spanish: recidivar — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Swedish: skov — (medicine) To recur; to worsen
  • Tagalog: binat — (medicine) To recur; to worsen