recurrent
Americanadjective
-
that recurs; occurring or appearing again, especially repeatedly or periodically.
- Synonyms:
- intermittent, persistent, repeated
-
Anatomy. turned back so as to run in a reverse direction, as a nerve, artery, branch, etc.
adjective
-
happening or tending to happen again or repeatedly
-
anatomy (of certain nerves, branches of vessels, etc) turning back, so as to run in the opposite direction
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of recurrent
1590–1600; < Latin recurrent- (stem of recurrēns ), present participle of recurrere to run back, equivalent to recurr ( ere ) ( see recur) + -ent- -ent
Explanation
Do you dream again and again that you are flying? If so, you could say that you have a recurrent dream of flight. Recurrent means something that happens repeatedly. The word recurrent comes from a Latin word meaning "to return or come back." A recurrent dream, good or bad, keeps coming back. You'll hear this word used often about abstract things like dreams, thoughts, and in literature, themes. For instance, the theme of a motherless child finding its way in the world is recurrent in pop culture and literature.
Vocabulary lists containing recurrent
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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"The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
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List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Up to 500,000 EVs are expected to come onto the used market in 2026, potentially driving prices even lower, according to Recurrent.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 6, 2026
Prices for used EVs range widely, but they often cost more than $10,000 and can be significantly more than that, according to Recurrent, a research company that analyzes electric vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026
The Tillbridge project is a joint venture between renewable energy developers Tribus Clean Energy and Recurrent Energy.
From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025
Recurrent C. difficile infections occur after suppressive antibiotic treatments that knock out almost all of the normal gut flora.
From Science Daily • Oct. 13, 2023
Recurrent attacks in cases where insufficient time is allowed for complete recovery to result, is followed by chronic inflammation and hypertrophy of the tendons.
From Lameness of the Horse Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1 by Lacroix, John Victor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
