regression

American  

[ri-gresh-uhn] / rɪˈgrɛʃ ən /

noun

1. the act of going back to a previous place or state; return or reversion.

2. retrogradation; retrogression.

3. Biology. reversion to an earlier or less advanced state or form or to a common or general type.

4. Psychoanalysis. the reversion to a chronologically earlier or less adapted pattern of behavior and feeling.

5. a subsidence of a disease or its manifestations.

   a regression of symptoms.

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or determined by regression analysis.

   regression curve; regression equation.

regression British  

/ rɪˈɡrɛʃən /

noun

1. psychol the adoption by an adult or adolescent of behaviour more appropriate to a child, esp as a defence mechanism to avoid anxiety

2. statistics

   1. the analysis or measure of the association between one variable (the dependent variable) and one or more other variables (the independent variables), usually formulated in an equation in which the independent variables have parametric coefficients, which may enable future values of the dependent variable to be predicted

   2. ( as modifer )

      regression curve

3. astronomy the slow movement around the ecliptic of the two points at which the moon's orbit intersects the ecliptic. One complete revolution occurs about every 19 years

4. geology the retreat of the sea from the land

5. the act of regressing

---

regression Scientific  

/ rĭ-grĕsh′ən /

1. A subsiding of the symptoms or process of a disease.

2. The return of a population to an earlier or less complex physical type in successive generations.

3. The relationship between the mean value of a random variable and the corresponding values of one or more independent variables.

4. A relative fall in sea level resulting in deposition of terrestrial strata over marine strata.

5. Compare transgression

6. Retrograde motion of a celestial body.

---

regression Cultural  

1. A Freudian concept used by psychiatrists to signify a return to primitive or impulsive behavior after more mature behavior has been learned. (See also defense mechanism, id, and libido.)

---

Other Word Forms

• nonregression noun

Etymology

Origin of regression

First recorded in 1510–20, regression is from the Latin word regressiōn- (stem of regressiō ). See regress, -ion

Example Sentences

Knowing how much Nasdaq stocks moved this year up to the war explains 60% of moves in the past week based on a regression analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

That estimate was derived from plant height measurements using a regression model that both calculated and predicted crown volume from height alone.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

It was a massive regression, and it felt familiar.

From Slate • Dec. 10, 2025

So, after the steps forward - and manager of the month award - in October, November has seen regression.

From BBC • Nov. 24, 2025

Will we ever come to an end in our understanding of the nature of matter, or is there an infinite regression into more and more fundamental particles?

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• backsliding
• relapse