noun / adjective
recidivist
rih-SID-ih-vist/rɪˈsɪdɪvɪst/
A person who repeatedly returns to criminal behavior, or relating to such behavior.
The recidivist steals another bicycle after being arrested for the earlier theft.
Etymology
The “falling back” image became a moral relapse—a return to sin—and then a legal term for returning to crime. A recidivist is someone characterized by such repeated relapses.
More examples
- The program aims to reduce recidivist behavior through job training.
- Several recidivists in the study commit new crimes within a year.
- His repeated convictions mark him as a recidivist.
Forms
recidivist · recidivists
recidivism noun — The tendency to return to criminal behavior.
Similar words
- repeat offender
- A plainer term for someone who commits crimes again.
- criminal
- Includes first-time offenders, without implying a return to crime.