ENGLISH
REFERENCE

relapse

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ɹiˈɫæps// re·lapse Archaic Informal

n. a time when someone gets sick again after they seemed to be getting better. It is also used when someone starts a bad habit again after they had stopped.

n. a deterioration in health after a period of improvement; the recurrence of a disease or a return to addictive behaviour.


SIMPLE

He was doing well, but he suffered a relapse last week.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor warned that stopping the medication too early could lead to a sudden relapse of the infection.

COMPLEX

While the initial recovery was promising, the patient experienced a minor relapse during the third month of treatment, necessitating a more aggressive therapeutic intervention.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin relapsus, past participle of relabi (“to slide back, fall back”), from re- (“back”) + labi (“to slip, slide, fall”).

Usage

Often used with the verbs 'suffer', 'have', or 'experience'.

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