What does regression mean?
Regression means a return to an earlier, less developed, or less successful condition. It can describe social or personal backsliding, a decline in performance, and the reappearance of earlier behaviors in psychology. In statistics, regression refers to a relationship used to estimate how one variable changes with another, while regression toward the mean describes the tendency for an extreme measurement to become less extreme when repeated. In software development, regression testing checks whether a recent change has disrupted previously working behavior. The word is often associated with unintended decline, but in technical fields it may simply name a relationship or method. Its importance lies in distinguishing a genuine setback from ordinary variation: some apparent reversals may disappear when conditions change or the process is measured again.
A return to an earlier, less advanced, or less successful state or form.
"The company introduced training to prevent a regression in service quality."
In psychology, it may refer to the reappearance of earlier behaviors or developmental stages.
A statistical relationship between one or more independent variables and a dependent variable.
"The researchers tested the relationship with linear regression."
This is a technical statistical sense and is commonly paired with terms such as linear, multiple, and logistic.
A defect in software in which a new change causes previously correct behavior to fail.
"The update introduced a regression that broke the login process."
This is a technical computing sense, usually encountered in software testing and development.
The plural is used for separate instances of a decline, statistical relationship, or software defect.
"Several regressions in customer engagement were identified during the review."
In statistics, regression toward the mean explains why an unusually high or low result often becomes less extreme when measured again.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does regression come from?
The word comes from Latin regressio, a noun formed from regredi, meaning “to go back.” That verb combines re-, meaning “back,” with gradi, “to step” or “to walk,” and is related to a family of English words such as progress, digress, and transgress. The sense of returning to an earlier state developed from the idea of moving backward, whether physically, politically, or in development.
Related word forms
How regression is actually used
The word is formal or technical in general use. In psychology, it can describe the reappearance of earlier behavior or developmental stages; in computing and statistics, it has specialized technical meanings.
Easily confused with regression
Regression is a return to an earlier or less developed state, whereas repression is the conscious or unconscious inhibition of impulses, thoughts, or emotions.