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Glite Dictionary
backsliding

backsliding

3 7.2
A return to old bad habits after making progress
  • noun
  • /ˈbækˌslaɪdɪŋ/
translation icon : 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
81 4.9

A short pause or mistake caused by losing attention

is about lasting moral decline after progress rather than a brief slip
relapse
vsbacksliding
33 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
17 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
3 6.9

A return to an earlier state or condition

is more focused on moral or progress loss rather than neutral return
relapsing
vsbacksliding
2 7.2

Returning to a bad condition after getting better

is used for moral or progress reversal rather than a general process
going backward
vsbacksliding
1 3.7

Moving back to an earlier state instead of making progress

is used specifically for moral or behaviour decline after improvement
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
119 4.1

Progress or growth that makes something better

How Severe

relapse
33 6.5
regression
  • Specialized
17 7.6
backsliding
3 7.2
lapse
81 4.9
slip
79 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.