backslide

[ bak-slahyd ]
/ ˈbækˌslaɪd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR backslide ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), back·slid, back·slid or back·slid·den, back·slid·ing.

to relapse into bad habits, sinful behavior, or undesirable activities.

noun

an act or instance of backsliding: a backslide from his early training.

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Origin of backslide

First recorded in 1575–85; back2 + slide

OTHER WORDS FROM backslide

backslider, noun

Words nearby backslide

backsight, back slang, backslap, backslapping, backslash, backslide, backsource, backspace, backspin, backsplash, backsplice
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to backslide

relapse, lapse, revert, sin, apostatize, slip, deviate, fall from grace

Example sentences from the Web for backslide

British Dictionary definitions for backslide

backslide
/ (ˈbækˌslaɪd) /

verb -slides, -sliding, -slid, -slid or -slidden

(intr) to lapse into bad habits or vices from a state of virtue, religious faith, etc

Derived forms of backslide

backslider, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012