Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

recidivism

/ɹəˈsɪdəvəzm̩/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English

Syllables: re-cidi-vism
IPA: /ɹəˈsɪdəvəzm̩/

18

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Committing new offenses after a crime committed in the past.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Chronic repetition of criminal or other antisocial behavior.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Returning to a negative behavior after having stopped it for a period of time.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The increase in criminal activity was attributed to recidivism."
"Unintended mathwashing occurs when the algorithm is left unchecked, and, learning from historical data, amplifies social bias. The U.S. justice system uses an algorithm called COMPAS to determine a criminal's likelihood to re-offend. COMPAS has been proven by Pro Publica to predict that black defendants will have higher rates of recidivism than they actually do, while white defendants are predicted to have lower rates than they actually do."
"alcohol(ic) recidivism"

Etymology

From French récidivisme, from Latin recidīvus (“returning, recurring”). Compare recidivous, -ism. By surface analysis, recidive + -ism.

Word Breakdown

Root: *ḱh₂d-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɹəˈsɪdəvəzm̩/
British English: /rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/

Usage

Inflected Forms

recidivisms (plural)

Phrases

three strikes and you're out three-strikes law zero tolerance

Frequently Paired Words

recidivist recidivize three strikes and you're out three-strikes law zero tolerance

Questions

How do you pronounce recidivism?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɹəˈsɪdəvəzm̩/.
What does recidivism mean?: Committing new offenses after a crime committed in the past.
Where does recidivism come from?: From French récidivisme, from Latin recidīvus (“returning, recurring”). Compare recidivous, -ism. By surface analysis, recidive + -ism.

How to pronounce recidivism

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “recidivism”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɹəˈsɪdəvəzm̩/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “recidivism”.
Repeat and practice — Say “recidivism” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.