How can one idiomatically or by using a phrase refer to a situation of something rising (e.g. a disease, pandemic, recession) after a temporary comedown?
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1The word which fits best will depend on the specific context. Do you have a scenario in mind?– mjjfCommented Aug 10, 2022 at 19:33
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@mjjf, for example, a new wave of an outbreak after some improvements (in a country-wide scale).– EiliaCommented Aug 12, 2022 at 6:49
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7 Answers
To rebound or bounce back would be a good fit in a business context. https://hbr.org/2010/03/are-you-ready-to-rebound
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1Yeah, "bounce back" would be appropriate in many contexts. Commented Aug 11, 2022 at 19:06
Lexico has
resurgence
NOUNAn increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence.
Some examples given are
It is also used as a mosquito repellant, a significant contribution in a region where the resurgence of malaria is responsible for thousands of deaths.
Indeed, we now know that, far from being a ‘dark age’, this period saw an economic resurgence in Anglo-Saxon England.
So this fits all the use cases given.
answered Aug 10, 2022 at 9:05
You might be talking about a "recurrence", "flare-up", or "recrudescence" (though those words wouldn't work well with "recession"). If you put those into a thesaurus you'll get other synonyms, too.
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2Recrudescence is a word I've never heard before as a relatively well versed native speaker. It definitely fits, but the others are much more likely to be understood. Thanks for the $10 word today @MarcInManhattan Commented Aug 11, 2022 at 13:14
Relapse
from Oxford Languages
verb
(of someone suffering from a disease) suffer deterioration after a period of improvement.
noun
a deterioration in someone's state of health after a temporary improvement.
answered Aug 10, 2022 at 17:35
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2@alex_danielssen While the phrasing may be confusing, I believe the OP wanted something specifically about something getting worse after a temporary reprieve. My understanding of that comes from the examples they used in reference to "rising". Each of those are things that are worse when rising and better when coming down. Without those examples, I would agree that this seem to ask about getting worse before getting better, but with those, I believe this word fits. Commented Aug 11, 2022 at 13:01
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OTOH, relapse is mostly used for diseases. It could be used metaphorically for other bad situations, but I don't think it's common. And individual can have a COVID relapse, but I've never heard anyone call widespread resurgences as relapses.– BarmarCommented Aug 11, 2022 at 14:26
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The question was something rising after lowering. The connotations of 'relapse' refer to the health of the patient rather than the prevalence of the disease. In this case, the health lowers after rising. Even though we might say that the disease or condition rises after lowering in a relapse, the word doesn't refer to the disease itself. Commented Aug 11, 2022 at 15:55
The opposite of a comedown?
merriam-webster.com says:
| Antonyms for comedown | Near Antonyms for comedown |
|---|---|
| aggrandizement ascent exaltation rise up shape up spring up |
advance headway progress flower heyday prime |
...but the first word that came to me was "comeback".
come·back /kŭm′băk′/
- to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness.
she's slowly coming back after being in a coma - to regain a former or normal state.
the American bald eagle was once nearly extinct but has come back strong
Very irreverent and colloquial, but "second wind" is one used frequently in the UK.
Tick-tock
Swung back
Doubled back
Resiled
Bobbed-up
Recommenced
Restarted
Rekindled
Reignited
Renewed
Regained
Reinstituted (generally used in 3rd person)
Restituted (generally used in 3rd person, also is a monetary term)
Reanimated
