recidivist

noun

re·​cid·​i·​vist ri-ˈsi-də-vist How to pronounce recidivist (audio)
: one who relapses
specifically : a habitual criminal
recidivist adjective
recidivistic adjective

Examples of recidivist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In February 2023, the 66-year-old Augustine was waiting for a subway train in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood when he was randomly pushed onto the tracks allegedly by a homeless stranger police described as a 44-year-old recidivist criminal. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024 Of recidivist criminals in front of the parole board. Tom Zoellner, SPIN, 8 Feb. 2024 Various animals, some insects and a few recidivist restaurants lowlight this week’s Sick and Shut Down List of restaurants in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Palm Beach metropolitan area. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024 Anybody can understand that to stop bank robberies, authorities must — consistently and effectively — arrest and prosecute those who rob banks, deterring prospective offenders and locking up potential recidivists. Maureen Flatley, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 Convinced that the best way to protect future victims was to take recidivists off the street, Mr. Reynolds began crafting a set of strict sentencing standards, inspired in part by a three-strike proposal that was being debated in Washington state at the time. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 25 July 2023 Nicolas Cage’s recidivist criminal tries to go straight after marrying cop Holly Hunter. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2023 Today’s hearing, the first of several designed to probe the events of that day and dispel lies about what happened, is a good opportunity to highlight some of the recidivist firms who have no problem backing politicians willing to strip away Americans’ right to vote. Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 27 July 2021 Put simply, Wells Fargo is a corporate recidivist that puts one third of American households at risk of harm. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recidivist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French récidiviste, from récidiver "to reappear (of a disease, tumor, etc.), do over, commit a second criminal offense" (going back to Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin recidīvāre "to relapse into sin or crime") + -iste -ist entry 1 — more at recidivate

First Known Use

1867, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of recidivist was in 1867

Dictionary Entries Near recidivist

Cite this Entry

“Recidivist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recidivist. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

recidivist

noun
re·​cid·​i·​vist -vəst How to pronounce recidivist (audio)
: one who relapses into a previous behavior or condition
especially : a habitual criminal
recidivist adjective
recidivistic adjective

Legal Definition

recidivist

noun
re·​cid·​i·​vist ri-ˈsi-də-vist How to pronounce recidivist (audio)
: an habitual criminal
recidivist adjective
recidivistic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on recidivist

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