recurrence
C1Formal to neutral
Definition
Meaning
The act or fact of happening or appearing again, especially after a period of time.
A return of a medical condition, such as a disease or tumour, after a period of improvement or remission.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implicitly carries a sense of cyclicity or periodicity; often used for undesirable events (e.g., illness, conflict, problems).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or meaning differences. Minor usage frequency variation.
Connotations
Identical connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in medical/technical contexts in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
recurrence of [NOUN]recurrence in [NOUN]recurrence after [NOUN/PHRASE]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “History has a way of recurrence.”
- “A recurrence of fortune.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
A recurrence of the supply chain issues would severely impact our quarterly targets.
Academic
The study aimed to identify factors influencing the recurrence of depressive episodes.
Everyday
We're trying to prevent a recurrence of the flooding we had last winter.
Technical
The patient's five-year survival rate without local recurrence was 85%.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The problem is likely to recur if not addressed properly.
American English
- These issues recur every election cycle.
adverb
British English
- The pain comes and goes recurrently.
American English
- She is recurrently absent from these meetings.
adjective
British English
- He suffers from a recurrent knee injury.
American English
- Recurrent themes appear throughout the author's work.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Doctors hope to prevent a recurrence of the infection.
- There was a recurrence of the old problem last week.
- The treaty was designed to avoid a recurrence of armed conflict in the region.
- Regular maintenance reduces the recurrence of technical faults.
- The statistical model predicted a high probability of recurrence within two years.
- Her research focuses on the psychosocial factors influencing cancer recurrence.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: RE (again) + CURRent (flow) + ENCE → something flowing back again.
Conceptual Metaphor
PROBLEMS/ILLNESS ARE CYCLES OR WAVES (that come back).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid translating directly as 'повторение' when context is medical; use 'рецидив'.
- Do not confuse with 'occurrence' (происшествие). 'Recurrence' implies prior existence.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'a recurrence again' (redundant).
- Confusing 'recurrence' (noun) with 'recur' (verb).
- Misspelling as 'reoccurence'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'recurrence' MOST appropriately used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. 'Repetition' is more general and can be intentional (e.g., repeating a word). 'Recurrence' often implies an unwanted event happening again after an interval, especially in medical or problem contexts.
In medicine, 'relapse' often implies a return of symptoms during or shortly after treatment. 'Recurrence' is broader, indicating a return after a period of full remission or absence.
It is possible but less common. The word's default connotation is neutral-to-negative (e.g., recurrence of an illness, a problem). For positive cyclical events, 'return' (the return of spring) or 'reappearance' is more typical.
Use the pattern 'recurrence of + [the thing that happens again]' (e.g., 'a recurrence of violence', 'the recurrence of her migraines'). It functions as a countable noun.
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