regression

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UK/ɹɪˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/US/ɹiːˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/Canada/ɹəˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/Australia/ɹəˈɡɹeʃ.ən/

noun

An action of regressing, a return to a previous state.

Opposite
CommonScrabble 11

Meanings

nounregression (countable and uncountable, plural regressions)

plural regressions

  1. countableuncountableAn action of regressing, a return to a previous state.

    Few of these groups or communities that are classed as "savage" show no traces of regression from a more advanced cultural stage.

    1899, Thorstein Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class […] , New York: Macmillan, →OCLC

    Synonyms: deconversion, restitution, step back, deconversion, restitution, restoration, reversion, step back

  2. countableuncountableAn action of travelling mentally back in time.

    I have done past life regressions on my own through self-hypnosis techniques that I learned in Brian Weiss's book Many Lives, Many Masters as well as with past life regression tapes.

    2001, Carol DeCuffa, In Search of Home: An Essential Guide for the Evolving Soul
  3. countableuncountablepsychotherapyA psychotherapeutic method whereby healing is facilitated by inducing the patient to act out behaviour typical of an earlier developmental stage.
  4. countableuncountablemathematicsAn analytic method to measure the association of one or more independent variables with a dependent variable.

    A social norm hypothesis [of crime] that focuses on the social meaning of order cannot be tested by a single time frame regression of neighborhood disorder and crime. That is simply asking too much of the data.

    2001, Bernard E. Harcourt, chapter 4, in Illusion of Order
    1 more example

    Supervised learning problems are categorized into "regression" and "classification" problems. In a regression problem, we are trying to predict results within a continuous output, meaning that we are trying to map input variables to some continuous function.

    (Can we date this quote?), (Please provide the book title or journal name)
  5. countableuncountablemathematicsAn equation using specified and associated data for two or more variables such that one variable can be estimated from the remaining variable(s).
  6. countableuncountablecomputingThe reappearance of a bug in a piece of software that had previously been fixed.
  7. countableuncountablemedicineThe diminishing of a cellular mass like a tumor, or of an organ size.
  8. countableuncountableexerciseThe making an exercise less straining to perform by manipulating the details of its performance like loaded weight, range of motion, angle, speed.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn action of regressing, a return to a previous state.

Opposite

More synonyms by meaning

nounan abnormal state in which development has stopped prematurely

Similar

nounthe relation between selected values of x and observed values of y (from which the most probable value of y can be predicted for any value of x)

Similar
simple regressionregression toward the meanstatistical regression
Broader
statistical methodstatistical procedure

nounreturning to a former state

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinregressio
  2. Englishregression

Learned borrowing from Latin regressio. Equivalent to regress + -ion. The statistics sense comes from regression to the mean.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian връщане назад, ретроспекция
  • връщане назад (vrăštane nazad)return to a previous state
  • ретроспекция (retrospekcija)action of travelling mentally back in time
  • регресия (regresija)statistics: analytic method
Chinese Mandarin 回歸 /回归, 迴歸 /回归
  • 回歸 /回归 (huíguī)return to a previous state
  • 迴歸 /回归 (huíguī)return to a previous state
  • 回歸 /回归 (huíguī)statistics: analytic method
  • 迴歸 /回归 (huíguī)statistics: analytic method
Dutch teruggang
  • teruggangreturn to a previous state
Finnish taantuminen, regressio
  • taantuminenreturn to a previous state
  • regressioreturn to a previous state
  • takaumaaction of travelling mentally back in time
  • regressioaction of travelling mentally back in time
  • regressiopsychotherapy: method of healing
  • regressioanalyysistatistics: analytic method
  • regressiostatistics: analytic method
  • regressioyhtälöstatistics: equation
  • regressiomedicine: diminishing of a cellular mass
French régression, régression
  • régressionreturn to a previous state
  • régressionstatistics: analytic method
German Rückbildung, Rückfall
  • Rückbildungreturn to a previous state
  • Rückfallreturn to a previous state
  • Rückgangreturn to a previous state
  • Rückschrittreturn to a previous state
Greek οπισθοδρόμηση, υποστροφή
  • οπισθοδρόμηση (opisthodrómisi)return to a previous state
  • υποστροφή (ypostrofí)return to a previous state
  • υποχώρηση (ypochórisi)return to a previous state
  • απόκλιση (apóklisi)statistics: analytic method
Hungarian regresszió
  • regresszióstatistics: analytic method
Icelandic aðhvarf
  • aðhvarfstatistics: analytic method
Indonesian regresi, regresi
  • regresiaction of travelling mentally back in time
  • regresistatistics: analytic method
  • regresistatistics: equation
Irish aischéimniú, cúlú
  • aischéimniúreturn to a previous state
  • cúlústatistics: analytic method
Italian regressione, regressione
  • regressionereturn to a previous state
  • regressionestatistics: analytic method
Japanese 回帰, 回帰
  • 回帰 (kaiki)return to a previous state
  • 回帰 (kaiki)statistics: analytic method
Korean 회귀
  • 회귀 (hoegwi)return to a previous state
Māori tauhekenga
  • tauhekengareturn to a previous state
Norwegian regresjon, regresjon
  • regresjonreturn to a previous state
  • regresjonstatistics: analytic method
Polish regres, uwstecznienie
  • regresreturn to a previous state
  • uwstecznieniereturn to a previous state
  • cofnięciereturn to a previous state
  • regresjareturn to a previous state
Portuguese regressão, regressão
  • regressãoreturn to a previous state
  • regressãostatistics: analytic method
Russian регре́ссия, регре́сс
  • регре́ссия (regréssija)return to a previous state
  • регре́сс (regréss)return to a previous state
  • возвраще́ние (vozvraščénije)return to a previous state
Spanish regresión, retroceso
  • regresiónreturn to a previous state
  • retrocesoreturn to a previous state
  • regresiónstatistics: analytic method
Tagalog balitugnay
  • balitugnaystatistics: analytic method
Turkish gerileme, gerileme
  • gerilemereturn to a previous state
  • gerilemeaction of travelling mentally back in time
  • gerilememedicine: diminishing of a cellular mass
Cite this entry
APA

regression. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regression

MLA

“regression.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regression. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “regression,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/regression.

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