as in reverted
to return to a usually worse state or condition
After a few good months of keeping their rooms clean, the kids relapsed into their old untidy habits.
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Recent Examples of relapsed
Last year, the 34-year-old Alabama native — who has struggled with addiction for two decades — relapsed, leading to a brutal fight and a broken neck.
—
Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Delonte West’s Recent String of Arrests West has rebounded and relapsed several times since then.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
But West has rebounded and relapsed several times since then, including a string of arrests.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Davis, who has struggled with alcohol addiction, became sober 20 years ago, but relapsed after her ex-husband died from a fentanyl overdose, Valdez said.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Months after his death, the Washington Post reported Irsay had relapsed and overdosed multiple times in the last five years, and was being treated by Haroutunian, who allegedly prescribed him opioids and ketamine.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
But against the Hawks, the Warriors relapsed into old habits.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Herrera admits she’s relapsed at times.
—Lucas Waldron, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2026
After the transplant, the cancer went into remission but soon relapsed.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Dec. 2025
Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Delonte West’s Recent String of Arrests West has rebounded and relapsed several times since then.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
But West has rebounded and relapsed several times since then, including a string of arrests.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
Davis, who has struggled with alcohol addiction, became sober 20 years ago, but relapsed after her ex-husband died from a fentanyl overdose, Valdez said.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
Months after his death, the Washington Post reported Irsay had relapsed and overdosed multiple times in the last five years, and was being treated by Haroutunian, who allegedly prescribed him opioids and ketamine.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
But against the Hawks, the Warriors relapsed into old habits.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Herrera admits she’s relapsed at times.
—Lucas Waldron, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2026
After the transplant, the cancer went into remission but soon relapsed.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapsed
Verb
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In 2017, Neverland Ranch was reverted back to its original name of Sycamore Valley Ranch, per Billboard.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
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The third, introduced on April 16, added a system prompt instruction capping the model’s responses at 25 words between tool calls—a change Anthropic said measurably hurt coding quality before it was reverted four days later.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Flashbacks are deployed as more than mere framing devices, since the past plays an active, exciting role in the town’s present, and there’s an extended drug trip that skillfully manipulates lapsed time through recurring blackouts to keep you on the edge of your seat.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2026
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During the more than 60 days since DHS funding lapsed, many TSA workers have struggled, according to their union.—
Tami Luhby,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relapsed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relapsed. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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