regress

American  

[ri-gres, ree-gres] / rɪˈgrɛs, ˈri grɛs /

verb (used without object)

1. to move backward; go back.

   Synonyms:

   ebb, lapse, backslide, retreat, revert

2. to revert to an earlier or less advanced state or form.

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noun

1. the act of going back; return.

2. the right to go back.

3. backward movement or course; retrogression.

regress British  

verb

1. (intr) to return or revert, as to a former place, condition, or mode of behaviour

2. (tr) statistics to measure the extent to which (a dependent variable) is associated with one or more independent variables

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noun

1. the act of regressing

2. movement in a backward direction; retrogression

3. logic a supposed explanation each stage of which requires to be similarly explained, as saying that knowledge requires a justification in terms of propositions themselves known to be true

Other Word Forms

• regressor
  noun

Etymology

Origin of regress

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English regresse (noun), from Latin regressus “a return,” noun use of past participle of regredī “to go back, return,” from re- re- + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to step, walk, go”; cf. gradient

Explanation

To regress is to return to a former state or condition, and not usually in a good way. It often means "relapse" or "get worse." First used in the late 14th century as a noun meaning "act of going back," regress originates from the Latin regress, meaning "a return." Many feel that the regress to anti-social behavior among teenagers is caused by violent video games, TV shows, and movies. A 30 year old forced to move back home may regress to old, childlike habits. It can also happen to someone's health, like when the condition of someone in recovery takes a turn for the worse.

Example Sentences

Regress a second straight season, however, and I’ll be in the audience throwing tomatoes, too.

From Washington Post • May 4, 2018

There were also two awards for radio writing, with Radio 4's Pandemic, by John Dryden, winning the drama category and Matt Berry's I, Regress winning best radio comedy.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2012

In his first�and not initially successful�fantasy, The Pilgrim's Regress, he used Bunyan's device of a naive wayfarer beset by symbolic men and monsters.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• degenerate
• deteriorate
• ebb
• fall back
• fall off
• recede
• revert