relapse

6 definitions • 7 examples

to become ill or start behaving badly again, after making an improvement:

She managed to stop using drugs for a month, but then relapsed.

He looked happy for a brief while, before relapsing into silent misery.

If someone who is getting better after an illness has a relapse, they become ill again:

She was looking quite healthy on Friday, but she had/suffered a relapse over the weekend and was taken back into hospital.

to return to a previous bad condition or a worse way of life after making an improvement:

She briefly relapsed twice after being released from the hospital.

the return of an illness suffered previously

to get worse after a successful period or after increasing in value:

A leading commodities analyst said it thought economic conditions in the US would relapse in the coming months.

If interest rates are set too high, the country may well relapse into recession.

a situation in which something gets worse after a successful period or in which prices go down after increasing in value:

Shares of the UK's leading chemicals manufacturer have suffered another relapse in the past week.