recidivism

[ ri-sid-uh-viz-uhm ]
See synonyms for recidivism on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. repeated or habitual relapse, as into crime.

  2. Psychiatry. the chronic tendency toward repetition of criminal or antisocial behavior patterns.

Origin of recidivism

1
First recorded in 1885–90; from Latin recidīv(us) “relapsing” (from recid(ere) “to fall back” (from re- re- + -cidere, combining form of cadere “to fall”) + -īvus -ive) + -ism

Other words from recidivism

  • re·cid·i·vist, noun, adjective
  • re·cid·i·vis·tic, re·cid·i·vous, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use recidivism in a sentence

  • The consequence is that he falls away and rejoins his old companions and soon becomes a recidivist.

    A Plea for the Criminal | James Leslie Allan Kayll
  • But the keeping of recidivist records is only one part of the business of the Criminal Record Office.

    Scotland Yard | George Dilnot
  • The prisoner meets a corrupt recidivist; they appoint a rendez-vous outside, and that man is lost.

    The Criminal | Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for recidivism

recidivism

/ (rɪˈsɪdɪˌvɪzəm) /


noun
  1. habitual relapse into crime

Origin of recidivism

1
C19: from Latin recidīvus falling back, from re- + cadere to fall

Derived forms of recidivism

  • recidivist, noun, adjective
  • recidivistic or recidivous, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012