What does recurrence mean?
Recurrence means that an event, pattern, condition, or problem happens again, often after some time has passed. It can describe a regular return, such as the recurrence of seasonal tides, or a troubling return, such as the recurrence of a disease after apparent recovery. The word is especially common in medical and scientific writing, where it may refer to cancer recurrence or the return of symptoms. More generally, recurrence emphasizes the return of something that has occurred before rather than simply describing a repeated action. It is a useful term when the pattern or history of an event matters, and it carries a more formal tone than alternatives such as repetition or return.
nounThe fact that something happens, appears, or occurs again, especially at regular intervals or after an interval of time. It can also refer to an instance of this happening again.
- The fact of something happening or appearing again, especially repeatedly or after an interval.
- An instance of something recurring.
- The return of a disease, symptom, or condition after a period of improvement or apparent recovery.
"The recurrence of the drought made the water restrictions unavoidable."
"The recurrence of thunderstorms made the afternoon impossible to plan."
"Her doctors are monitoring her closely for any recurrence of the illness."
The plural is used for separate instances of something happening again.
"Frequent recurrences of the rash led the patient to seek specialist care."
Recurrence is what turns a single event into a pattern: something returns, repeats, and leaves a trace of its previous passage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does recurrence come from?
Recurrence comes from Latin recurrere, a compound of re- (“again”) and currere (“to run”), meaning “to run back” or “to return.” English borrowed the related forms recur and recurrent, while words such as current and cursor descend from the same Latin root currere. In English, recurrence developed into a noun referring to the process or fact of happening again.
Related word forms
How recurrence is actually used
The word is formal and common in academic, medical, scientific, and news contexts. In general use, repetition or return may sound more natural. The medical sense is especially common in discussions of cancer and chronic disease.
Easily confused with recurrence
An occurrence is a particular event or instance, whereas a recurrence is the fact or process of something happening again.