Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun recidivist

2 senses of recidivist

Sense 1
recidivist, repeater, habitual criminal -- (someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior (especially for the same criminal behavior))
       => criminal, felon, crook, outlaw, malefactor -- (someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime)

Sense 2
recidivist, backslider, reversionist -- (someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior)
       => wrongdoer, offender -- (a person who transgresses moral or civil law)