Relapse

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈlæps/

Definitions

1. A return to a previous undesirable condition or behavior after a period of improvement or recovery
2. A falling back into a previous state of illness or undesirable behavior following a phase of recovery or positive change
3. The act of reverting to a former condition or unhealthy habit after experiencing some level of progress or improvement

Etymology: The verb "relapse" began as a physical image: to slide back, to fall back into a place or state one had left. Its Latin source, "relabi," combined "re-" meaning "back" with "labi," meaning "to slip or slide." The same root gives English "lapse," which still carries the sense of a slip or drift away from a standard, so "relapse" and "lapse" are close relatives that took different paths. The idea of falling back into an earlier condition, and especially back into sickness after apparent recovery, is what the word came to mean in English. Its medical sense of a return of illness is the one most readers recognise today, and the noun developed from the same sense of sliding back into a prior state.

Synonyms: recurrence, setback, regression, reversion, deviation

Antonyms: recovery, improvement, progress, advancement, success