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backslide — to relapse into bad habits or undesirable activities after a period of improvement

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to relapse into bad habits or undesirable activities after a period of improvement

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈbækˌslaɪd/

Example Sentences

  • My diet plan was perfect until I backslid with a family-sized pizza at 2 AM.
  • The recovering smoker backslid after one stressful day at work.
  • She promised to wake up early but backslid into her old habit of hitting the snooze button ten times.

backslide

VERB

[/ˈbækˌslaɪd/]

to relapse into bad habits or undesirable activities after a period of improvement

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈbækˌslaɪd/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈbækˌslaɪd/

🌳Etymology

Rootback
Suffix-slide

Origin

A compound formation from English, combining 'back' (backward) and 'slide' (to slip or glide). The term emerged to describe the act of slipping backward from progress or improvement, originally used in religious contexts to denote falling away from faith or virtue.

Breakdown

back- (backward, in reverse direction) + slide (to slip or glide smoothly). The compound conveys movement in a retrograde direction, metaphorically describing regression from an achieved state or position.

🎵Rhyme

landslide
bedside
hillside

🔗Collocations

backslide into bad habits
backslide on commitments
backslide into addiction
backslide from progress
tendency to backslide
backslide morally

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My diet plan was perfect until I backslid with a family-sized pizza at 2 AM.”

“The recovering smoker backslid after one stressful day at work.”

😄 Fun example

“She promised to wake up early but backslid into her old habit of hitting the snooze button ten times.”

“The company backslid on its environmental commitments due to budget constraints.”

📚Related Words

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