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.

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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

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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.

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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.)

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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

Explanation

When you experience regression, you "go back" in some way. If you've been trying to break your sugar habit but one day eat several pieces of cake, that's regression. Remember that the suffix -ion is added to a verb to make it into a noun, making regression the noun form of the verb "to regress." We can find regression, meaning "the act of going back," as far back as the late 1300s, from the Latin regressus, which means "a return." When you see all your old friends (and enemies) at a school reunion, you might experience regression and start acting like your younger self.

Example Sentences

The deeper issue is regression to the mean.

From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026

What looks like regression is often better understood as response.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

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

“I think just looking at where his ankle is at, trying to play the long view that you don’t want to have any regression or setbacks,” Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Nemur: “I’m not afraid of regression any more. I’ve checked and rechecked everything. An interim report will do no harm. I feel sure nothing can go wrong now.”

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Related Words

• backsliding
• relapse