recidivousadj.
/rɪˈsɪdɪvəs/, U.S. /rəˈsɪdᵻvəs/, /riˈsɪdᵻvəs/ Liable to fall back or relapse; esp. tending to relapse into crime; reoffending.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > [adjective] > liable to
slidingc1435
recidive1537
recidivous1658
1658 E. Phillips New World Eng. Words Recidivous, falling, or sliding back to the same passe as it was before.
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Recidivous, subject to fall again.
1830 J. Sega What is True Civilization App. 232 Recidivous young thieves.
1890 Times 24 Oct. 3/5 The establishment of agricultural colonies for recidivous criminals.
1949 Jrnl. Criminal Law & Criminol. 39 734 It is not intended to suggest that all recidivous sex offenders are physically dangerous.
1960 P. W. Tappan Crime, Justice & Corr. I. ii. 62 Youths who had first been convicted before the age of 12 were considerably more recidivous.
2003 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 9 Dec. (Computers section) 1 The anti-spam legislation..imposes fines of up to $1.1 million a day on recidivous spammers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1658