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Glite Dictionary
backsliding

backsliding

4 7.2
A return to old bad habits after making progress
  • noun
  • /ˈbækˌslaɪdɪŋ/
: retroceso
  • After months of improvement, he faced backsliding in his studies and reverted to old habits.
  • democratic backsliding

This is a a backsliding of sorts, and it's different in intensity and it's different in intent.

Examples

  • Even if a deal is struck, delays and backsliding should be expected.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Backsliding in Moscow is still a danger and could pit Russia against the United States.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Cause for celebration, though I have warned myself to expect some backsliding.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • However, the momentum was not sustained, and there was some backsliding within a year.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Well, sadly, in the last year in Russia, we've seen, you know, the biggest backsliding since the end of the Soviet Union.

  • It is this kind of backsliding that has brought the scarcity upon us.

    Happy Feet (2006)

  • The record of the major parties on internal democratic reform is replete with examples of backsliding and disparities between public statements and actual practice.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Although the possibility of backsliding or a reversion to authoritarianism exists in several of these countries, that possibility seems increasingly remote.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Rather than promoting liberty, the war on terror coexisted with democratic backsliding globally (at least until the recent Arab Spring).

    Academic text (2011)

  • Otherwise, there is a real risk—as other experiences reveal—of backsliding and unraveling of the progress that has been made.

    Academic text (2004)

Synonyms

lapse
vsbacksliding
66 4.9

A short pause or mistake caused by losing attention

is about lasting moral decline after progress rather than a brief slip
going backward
vsbacksliding
47 3.7

Moving back to an earlier state instead of making progress

is used specifically for moral or behaviour decline after improvement
relapse
vsbacksliding
34 6.5

A return to being ill or to a bad habit after getting better

is a return framed as moral or progress loss rather than a medical setback
regression
vsbacksliding
  • Specialized
26 7.6

A return to an earlier, less developed state in behaviour or skills

is used for moral or behavior decline rather than clinical contexts
reversion
vsbacksliding
5 6.9

A return to an earlier state or condition

is more focused on moral or progress loss rather than neutral return
relapsing
vsbacksliding
3 7.2

Returning to a bad condition after getting better

is used for moral or progress reversal rather than a general process
retrogression
vsbacksliding
  • Formal
1 8.9

A change back to an earlier, worse state in a country or system

is often used for moral or behavioral decline after progress
lapsing
vsbacksliding
1 6.6

A return to a worse state or to old bad habits

is usually about moral decline after progress rather than a brief mistake

Antonyms

progress
∞ 2.5

Forward change toward a goal or better state

advancement
102 4.1

Progress or growth that makes something better

How Severe

relapse
34 6.5
regression
  • Specialized
26 7.6
backsliding
4 7.2
lapse
66 4.9
slip
58 1.6

Surface Forms

backsliding singular
backslidings plural

Morphology

backsliding = backslide (transparent) = backslide + ing

Formed from the verb 'backslide' + '-ing'; the meaning 'reverting or relapsing' is directly derived from 'back' + 'slide'.

Etymology

Backsliding comes from putting back and slide together, like sliding backwards down a hill into old ways. So backsliding means 'a return to old habits or bad behavior' after you have made progress.