recidive

R1E1C3I1D2I1V4E1

adjective

Synonym of recidivous (“recurring”).

Scrabble 14

Meanings

recidive1

adjectiverecidive (not comparable)
  1. not comparableSynonym of recidivous (“recurring”).

    [T]he evil humours remaining after a Criſe, are wont to make one recidive or relapſing; […]

    1659, J[ohn] Macallo, “Part. II. To foresee the issue of the Disease.”, in W. S., editor, XCIX. Canons, or, Rules; Learnedly Describing an Excellent Method for Practitioners in Physick, London: […] J. Grismond, →OCLC, canon 29, page 75
    3 more examples

    But the truth is, as I haue oft ſeene, that this forme doth nothing, ſaue onely hide the ſicknes, and appeaſe the dolors for a time, ſo that it is alwayes recidiue, and oſt times by the long and violent vſage heereof, the humors are rendred more drying, maling, and burned, of the which come miſerable ſimptoms, as I haue often ſeene.

    1596, “To cure the Spanish disease by decoction of Gaiac, which is the first way”, in Peter Lowe, compiler, An Easie, Certaine, and Perfect Method, to Cure and Preuent the Spanish Sicknes. […], London: […] Iames Roberts, →OCLC, signature C3, verso

    It was the second case of recidive calculus which I had operated on since my arrival in England; […]

    1831 April 26, W. B. Costello, “On the Recurrence of Stone after the Operation of Lithotrity. Case Related by a Patient.”, in Thomas Wakley, editor, The Lancet. […], volume II, number 401, London: […] [F]or the editor, by Mills, Jowett, and Mills, […], published 7 May 1831, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 173, column 2

    If any suspicion of recidive aldosteronism was present, patients were carefully reexamined by hormonal tests and computed tomography (CT).

    1998 April, Jukka Sirén, Matti Välimäki, Kauko Huikuri, Arto Sivula, Petri Voutilainen, Reijo Haapiainen, “Adrenalectomy for Primary Aldosteronism: Long-term Follow-up Study in 29 Patients”, in World Journal of Surgery, volume 22, number 4, New York, N.Y.: Springer, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 418

    Synonyms: recidivous

  2. not comparableSynonym of recidivous (“prone to relapse”).

    He was, then, already a recidive offender when he came here for the first time, and he has been here 4, and not three times, as the press says.

    1926 June 26, Bartolomeo Vanzetti, “Bartolomeo Vanzetti to EVD [Eugene Victor Debs]”, in J[ames] Robert Constantine, editor, Letters of Eugene V. Debs, volume 3 (1919–1926), Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, published 1990, →ISBN, page 587
    2 more examples

    [H]is maieste had never remembred their precedent offenses nor imputed thesame^([sic]) to their charge, Being a prince most honorable obseruatour of his worde . But seing their cankred recidive hert he could no lesse doo then to suffre them to have his lawes . to thexemple of suche Ingrate and Irremediable obstinate hertes.

    1537 June 16 (Gregorian calendar), Thomas Cromwell, “Cromwell to Sir Thomas Wyatt”, in Roger Bigelow Merriman, Life and Letters of Thomas Cromwell, volume II (Letters from 1536, Notes, Index), Oxford, Oxfordshire: At the Clarendon Press, published 1902, →OCLC, “Letters” section, page 60

    Charlemagne went further, punishing the recidive thief by death and providing that authors of crimes against good morals might, for the first offence, be handed over to the judgment of the bishop, and, if that did not suffice for their correction and their fault was grave, they should suffer confiscation of their allodial lands.

    1928, Carlo Calisse, translated by Layton B[artol] Register, “Manner of Commission”, in A History of Italian Law, volume I, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown, and Company, →OCLC, title I (The Crime), chapter II (Attending Circumstances), topic 1 (Aggravating Circumstances), pages 235–236

    Synonyms: recidivous

recidive2

nounrecidive (plural recidives)

plural recidives

  1. Synonym of recidivation (“relapse”).

    The recidive is the greatest obstacle of this disease, because the yeast usually returns after the long treatment period.

    2004 November 10, A. Bozzi, B. S. Reis, F. L. S. Prado, E. P. Pedroso, M. F. Leite, A. M. Goes, “Modulation of CD28 and CD86 Expression in Patients with Paracoccidioidomycosis in Different Periods of Treatment”, in Scandinavian Journal of Immunology, volume 60, number 5, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Blackwell Publishing Ltd, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 500
    2 more examples

    Take alwaies heede to the forces of the ſick, & beware of that which is cauſe of all dolors and recidiues: that is, the number of the frictions, by reaſon that ſome giue ouer-few, fearing theſe accidents, and to the contrary, ſome others that gyue ouer-many, in ſuch ſort that I haue heard men vaunt themſelues, to haue rubbed the poore Patient 37. times.

    1596, “Of the forme of the Friction”, in Peter Lowe, compiler, An Easie, Certaine, and Perfect Method, to Cure and Preuent the Spanish Sicknes. […], London: […] Iames Roberts, →OCLC, signature D, recto

    But this was like the palliative cure of a ſore, & a lightning for the preſent of a ſick bodie: wherby it might ſoone after by relapſe fall backe, as it were, into a recidive, and a worſe diſeaſe and more daungerous than the other.

    1600, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book XXIIII]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 529

    Synonyms: recidivation

  2. Synonym of recidivist (“one who falls back into prior habits”).

    The fixed punitive sentence should become a practice of the past. There should be substituted the indeterminate sentence with two types of institutions—one for the first offenders and one for the recidives.

    1931 November 10, Louis Berman, quotee, “Survey Lays Crime to Gland Disorders: Dr. Berman Presents Evidence Obtained in 3-Year Study of Sing Sing Inmates. […]”, in The New York Times, volume LXXXI, number 26,953, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 2
    2 more examples

    The severity of Jansenism could hardly be a greater guarantee for repentance than the mild discipline of the Church, when it was compatible with the impenitence of [Jean François Paul de Gondi, Cardinal] de Retz, and the feeble penance of such a recidive as Anne de Rohan.

    1853, John Bernard Dalgairns [pseudonym; John Dobree Dalgairns], “Introduction. The Spirit of Jansenism.”, in The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus; with an Introduction on the History of Jansenism, London: Thomas Richardson and Son, […], →OCLC, page 32

    It is the great dominant question of the recidive, the habitual offender, the criminal class. In his lurid romance, “Les Misérables,” Victor Hugo has canonized the innocent recidive, Jean Valjean, who is not the enemy but the victim of law and order.

    1897 August, William Barry, “The New Theory of Crime and Justice”, in American Ecclesiastical Review. A Monthly Publication for the Clergy., volume XVII (Old Series; volume VII, New Series), number 2, New York, N.Y.: American Ecclesiastical Review Co., →OCLC, part I (Crime as a Social Phenomenon), “The Habitual Offender” section, page 132

    Synonyms: recidivist

recidive3

verbrecidive (third-person singular simple present recidives, present participle recidiving, simple past and past participle recidived)

present singular third person recidives · participle present recidiving · participle past recidived · past recidived

  1. intransitiveSynonym of recidivate (“to fall back into prior habits”).

    Weekends I recidived / Into Alma Mater.

    1998, Ted Hughes, “Visit”, in Birthday Letters, New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 7
    3 more examples

    Agayne if he ofte tymes recidiuyng, and fallyng into the ſame diſeaſe agayne, be at the length with muche a doe rid ⁊ healed therof, thẽ doth he the moꝛe hate his diſeaſe, and alſo the moꝛe knowledge the benefite of his healing, and ſhall better knowe how to cure other that are lykewiſe diſeaſed.

    1549 February 10 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1548), Erasmus, “The Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Gospell of Sainct Marke. The .x. Chapter.”, in Thomas Key [i.e., Thomas Caius], transl., The First Tome or Volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente, London: […] Edwarde Whitchurche, →OCLC, folio lxxiij, recto

    ‘I’d walk out today if I had the courage.’ / ‘Ah, but then you’re probably a first offender, while Judith and I are recidivists. Am I right?’ / ‘And how!’ Judith laughed. ‘What’s more I’m going on recidiving just as soon as I kick the dust of this place off my heels.’

    1971, Dymphna Cusack, “Part Five”, in A Bough in Hell, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, page 165

    We see that the probability levels off above 0.6. Thus, there may be about this proportion of people who will not recidive.

    2004, J[ames] K[eith] Lindsey, “Finite mixtures”, in Statistical Analysis of Stochastic Processes in Time (Cambridge Series in Statistical and Probabilistic Mathematics; 14), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, part II (Categorical state space), chapter 3 (Survival processes), page 58

    Synonyms: recidivate

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveSynonym of recidivous (“recurring”).

Similar

adjectiveSynonym of recidivous (“prone to relapse”).

Similar

nounSynonym of recidivation (“relapse”).

nounSynonym of recidivist (“one who falls back into prior habits”).

Similar

verbSynonym of recidivate (“to fall back into prior habits”).

Similar

Origin

recidive · adjective

  1. Latinrecidīvus
  2. Englishrecidive

From Latin recidīvus; compare Middle French recidive. Doublet of recidivous.

Full word history & related roots →

recidive · noun

  1. Latinrecidīva
  2. Middle Frenchrecidive
  3. Englishrecidive

From Middle French recidive (modern French récidive) or its etymon Latin recidīva, from the feminine of recidīvus.

Full word history & related roots →

recidive · verb

  1. Latinrecidīvō
  2. Middle Englishresydiven
  3. Englishrecidive

From Middle English resydiven, from Latin recidīvō, from recidīvus + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

recidive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recidive

MLA

“recidive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recidive. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “recidive,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recidive.

Source: recidive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.