What does "regression" mean?
An action of regressing, a return to a previous state.
Regression
/ɹiːˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An action of regressing, a return to a previous state.
- Grammar: regression is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: regression toward the mean, statistical regression, about face, about-face.
- Useful contrasts: absolute improvement, academic progress, actual growth.
- Usage evidence: Support vector machines are supervised learning models used for classification and regression analysis.
How to use "regression"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "regression" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "regression" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "regression" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "regression" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "regression" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "regression toward the mean" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "regression", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An action of regressing, a return to a previous state. countable, uncountable
"Few of these groups or communities that are classed as "savage" show no traces of regression from a more advanced cultural stage."
- 2 returning to a former state wordnet
- 3 An action of travelling mentally back in time. countable, uncountable
"I have done past life regressions on my own through self-hypnosis techniques that I learned in Brian Weiss's book Many Lives, Many Masters as well as with past life regression tapes."
- 4 the relation between selected values of x and observed values of y (from which the most probable value of y can be predicted for any value of x) wordnet
- 5 A psychotherapeutic method whereby healing is facilitated by inducing the patient to act out behaviour typical of an earlier developmental stage. countable, uncountable
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which you flee from reality by assuming a more infantile state wordnet
- 7 An analytic method to measure the association of one or more independent variables with a dependent variable. countable, uncountable
"A social norm hypothesis [of crime] that focuses on the social meaning of order cannot be tested by a single time frame regression of neighborhood disorder and crime. That is simply asking too much of the data."
- 8 an abnormal state in which development has stopped prematurely wordnet
- 9 An equation using specified and associated data for two or more variables such that one variable can be estimated from the remaining variable(s). countable, uncountable
- 10 The reappearance of a bug in a piece of software that had previously been fixed. countable, uncountable
- 11 The diminishing of a cellular mass like a tumor, or of an organ size. countable, uncountable
- 12 The making an exercise less straining to perform by manipulating the details of its performance like loaded weight, range of motion, angle, speed. countable, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
absolute improvementacademic progressactual growthbehavioral progress
Example
"Support vector machines are supervised learning models used for classification and regression analysis."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "regression"?
Common synonyms include: regression toward the mean, statistical regression, about face, about-face, advance, angular motion.
How do you use "regression" in a sentence?
Support vector machines are supervised learning models used for classification and regression analysis.
How do you pronounce "regression"?
Pronounced /ɹiːˈɡɹɛʃ.ən/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin regressio. Equivalent to regress + -ion. The statistics sense comes from regression to the mean.