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Glite Dictionary
relapsing

relapsing

2 7.2
Returning to a bad condition after getting better
  • noun
  • /rɪˈlæpsɪŋ/
translation icon : recaída
  • The relapsing course of Emma Eckstein's illness continued for a number of months.
  • relapsing-remitting
  • relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
  • relapsing-remitting multiple

This became a cycle of ups and downs, relapsing, feeling better, thinking I was better than relapsing all over again.

Examples

  • Psoriasis is a common, chronic, relapsing, distressing skin disease of unknown aetiology.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Consequently, a substantial minority of treatment clients do not appear to warrant the label "chronic relapsing."

    Academic text (2009)

  • Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition or disease that is now spread globally.

  • And Stephen talked to me about his experience of the relapsing and remitting nature.

  • We report a case of tickborne relapsing fever in a person in this region.

    Academic text (2015)

  • Tickborne relapsing fever should be considered when patients seek treatment for a history of recurrent, acute febrile episodes.

    Academic text (2015)

  • We believe mitoxantrone provides a new therapeutic option for patients with worsening relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Medically, they were characterized by a relapsing-remitting disease course (73 percent) and a mean illness duration of 8.5 years.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The fact that treatment can help but not cure the phenomenon of relapse, even after extended periods of remission, has led to addiction being viewed more as a chronic relapsing disorder rather than an acute problem that can be corrected with a single treatment.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Addiction is often a relapsing condition that requires ongoing treatment and support.

Synonyms

relapse
vsrelapsing
33 6.5

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

is used for an ongoing process of returning, not just the single event
backsliding
vsrelapsing
3 7.2

A return to old bad habits after making progress

is broader and applies beyond moral or personal behaviour
reversion
vsrelapsing
3 6.9

A return to an earlier state or condition

is neutral and does not stress undesirability or prior improvement
recrudescence
vsrelapsing
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A return of a disease or problem after a time when things got better

is more general and not limited to medical or technical use
lapsing
vsrelapsing
1 6.6

A return to a worse state or to old bad habits

means an actual return to the prior state rather than mere failure

Antonyms

improvement
619 1.1

A change that makes something better

Compounds

relapsing fever
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A disease that causes repeated high fevers and chills and spreads by lice or ticks

How Recurrent

recurrent
12 4.7
relapsing
2 7.2
recrudescent
  • Specialized
9.9
eruptive
  • Specialized
7.0
intermittent
35 6.5
sporadic
35 7.0

Surface Forms

relapsing singular
relapsings plural

Morphology

relapsing = relapse (transparent) = relapse + ing

This noun sense is a straightforward gerund or verbal noun meaning the act or process of relapsing.

Etymology

Relapsing comes from the parts re- meaning 'again' and lapse meaning 'to slip' or 'fall back'. So relapsing is like 'slipping back again', which is why it means returning to a previous, often unwanted state after a time of getting better.