Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In French law, a relapsed criminal; one who falls back into the same criminal course for which he has already been condemned.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who is recidivous or is characterized by recidivism; an incorrigible criminal.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One who falls back into
prior habits , especiallycriminal habits; arepeat offender .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior (especially for the same criminal behavior)
- noun someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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I must admit to certain recidivist tendencies where the Guardian is concerned.
Guardian Defends BBC shock ! Newmania 2007
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A Porirua man described as a recidivist paua thief has been jailed for 12 months on charges relating to poaching on the west coast of Wellington.
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I mean the Germans aren't really villains unless you're some kind of recidivist football fan banned from every league ground in Europe, and what's more this song is sung by a German.
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Some counter-terrorism experts have raised questions about the significance of the Pentagon's figures, noting that the number of so-called "recidivist" detainees represents only a small portion, about 12 percent, of the approximately 520 detainees who have been released from Guantanamo since the detention facility was opened in January 2002.
Safe To Release? 2009
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Some counter-terrorism experts, the magazine said, have raised questions about the significance of the Pentagon's figures, noting that the number of so-called "recidivist" detainees represents only a small portion, about 12 per cent, of the approximately 520 detainees who have been released from Guantanamo since the detention facility was opened in January 2002.
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Human Rights Watch claims in a press release that at least one "recidivist" GTMO detainee counted in the Pentagon’s "recidivism" report confessed to his post-GTMO crimes after they were beaten out of him:
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Another thought; most convicted felons of a recidivist nature don't care whether it is legal or not to possess a firearm.
Should Felons Hunt? 2009
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Another thought; most convicted felons of a recidivist nature don't care whether it is legal or not to possess a firearm.
Should Felons Hunt? 2009
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More pedantry … my understanding is that the pet name for a recalcitrant recidivist is “scrote” (for “scrotum”) rather than “scroat”.
Cross & Rude « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2009
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Oh good – mobile tea tantrums for the recidivist right. rr
'Tea Party Express' trucks on with tour aimed at health care 2009
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