What does reoccurrence mean?
Reoccurrence means another instance of something happening after it has occurred previously. It is used for events, problems, symptoms, patterns, and other phenomena that return or recur, and it emphasizes that at least one earlier instance has taken place. The term is readily understood in both British and American English and remains neutral in tone, although “recurrence” is more common in polished writing. For example, one might discuss the reoccurrence of an illness, the reoccurrence of a technical fault, or the reoccurrence of an undesirable social pattern. Although “reoccurrence” is formed transparently from the prefix re-, meaning “again,” and the word “occurrence,” it is less established and less frequent than recurrence. Its clearest use is in contexts where repetition is significant, especially when diagnosing a problem or describing a pattern that has returned.
nounAn instance of something happening again; a repeated occurrence.
- An instance of something happening again, especially after it has already happened once.
"The reoccurrence of the error prompted a review of the publishing process."
"The rapid reoccurrence of symptoms led the doctor to recommend further tests."
"The report describes the reoccurrence of similar errors across several regional offices."
The regular plural adds -s and is used for separate repeated instances.
"The doctor tracked the reoccurrences of her headaches in a diary."
The word literally describes an “occurrence” that comes back again, making it especially apt for problems that refuse to stay solved.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How reoccurrence is actually used
Neutral in tone and suitable for formal and informal contexts, but recurrence is usually the more idiomatic choice in edited professional writing.
Easily confused with reoccurrence
Recurrence is the more frequent and generally preferred term for a repeated event, whereas reoccurrence is a less common synonym.
An occurrence may be the first instance of an event, while a reoccurrence necessarily happens again after an earlier instance.