Adjacent Words

Regress definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RE'GRESS, n. [L. regressus, regredior.]
1. Passage back; return; as ingress and regress.
2. The power of returning or passing back.
REGRESS', v.i. To go back; to return to a former place or state.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the reasoning involved when you assume the conclusion is true and reason backward to the evidence [syn: regress, reasoning backward]
2: returning to a former state [syn: regression, regress, reversion, retrogression, retroversion] v
1: go back to a statistical means
2: go back to a previous state; "We reverted to the old rules" [syn: revert, return, retrovert, regress, turn back]
3: get worse or fall back to a previous condition [syn: regress, retrograde, retrogress] [ant: advance, come along, come on, get along, get on, progress, shape up]
4: go back to bad behavior; "Those who recidivate are often minor criminals" [syn: relapse, lapse, recidivate, regress, retrogress, fall back]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English regresse, from Anglo-French, from Latin regressus, from regredi to go back, from re- + gradi to go — more at grade Date: 14th century 1. a. an act or the privilege of going or coming back b. reentry 1 2. movement backward to a previous and especially worse or more primitive state or condition 3. the act of reasoning backward II. Date: 1552 intransitive verb 1. a. to make or undergo regress ; retrograde b. to be subject to or exhibit regression 2. to tend to approach or revert to a mean transitive verb to induce a state of psychological regression in • regressor noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. move backwards, esp. (in abstract senses) return to a former state. 2 intr. & tr. Psychol. return or cause to return mentally to a former stage of life, esp. through hypnosis or mental illness. --n. 1 the act or an instance of going back. 2 reasoning from effect to cause. Etymology: ME (as n.) f. L regressus f. regredi regress- (as RE-, gradi step)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Regress Re"gress (r?"gr?s), n. [L. regressus, fr. regredi, regressus. See Regrede.] 1. The act of passing back; passage back; return; retrogression. ``The progress or regress of man''. --F. Harrison. 2. The power or liberty of passing back. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Regress Re*gress" (r?*gr?s"), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Regressed (-gr?st"); p. pr. & vb. n. Regressing.] To go back; to return to a former place or state. --Sir T. Browne.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(regresses, regressing, regressed) When people or things regress, they return to an earlier and less advanced stage of development. (FORMAL) ...if your child regresses to babyish behaviour... Such countries are not 'developing' at all, but regressing. VERB: V to/into n, V • regression (regressions) This can cause regression in a pupil's learning process. N-VAR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Return, retrocession, reflux, retrogression, refluence, ebb, retirement, passage back, retrogradation, regression.

Moby Thesaurus

about-face, advance, ascend, back, back up, backing, backset, backslide, backsliding, backward motion, backward step, budge, change, change place, circle, climb, cock, come after, come last, degenerate, descend, deteriorate, disenchantment, disimprove, ebb, fall, fall again into, fall astern, fall back, fall behind, fall from grace, flip-flop, flow, follow, get behind, get over, get worse, go, go around, go back, go backwards, go behind, go round, go sideways, grow worse, gyrate, have a relapse, jerk back, lag behind, lapse, lapse back, let down, lose ground, mount, move, move over, plunge, progress, pull back, reaction, recede, recession, recidivate, recidivation, recidivism, reclamation, reconversion, recur to, reentry, refluence, reflux, regression, rehabilitation, reinstatement, relapse, restitution, restoration, retroaction, retrocede, retrocession, retroflex, retroflexion, retrogradation, retrograde, retrogress, retrogression, retroversion, retrovert, retrusion, return, return to, returning, reversal, reverse, reversion, revert, revert to, reverting, revulsion, rise, rollback, rotate, run, setback, shift, sicken, sink, sink back, slacken, slide back, slip back, slipping back, soar, spin, sternway, stir, stream, subside, throw back, throwback, trail, trail behind, travel, turn, turnabout, wane, whirl, worsen, yield again to