regression
regression — 名詞
1. a situation where a person, society, or system moves back to a condition that is
倒退；退步
回到較落後或較差的狀態
a situation where a person, society, or system moves back to a condition that is more basic or poorer than what had been achieved before — for example, when a country's economy shrinks after years of growth, or when a student's language skills drop after months without practice.
After the earthquake, the region suffered a serious economic regression that took years to reverse.
地震過後，該地區經歷了嚴重的經濟倒退，花了數年才恢復。
collocation: economic regression
Mathieu noticed a regression in his Mandarin fluency after spending a year in Mexico.
Mathieu 發現自己在墨西哥待了一整年後，中文的流利度明顯退步了。
pattern: regression + in + [skill/ability]
The new law was seen as a regression to outdated policies from the 1980s that had failed before.
這項新法律被視為倒退至1980年代那些早已失效的舊政策。
Critics called the factory's safety downgrade a clear regression in workplace standards.
評論家稱工廠的安全降級是職場標準的明顯倒退。
- decline
focuses on gradual loss of quality rather than return to an earlier state
- backslide
more informal, often about personal habits or moral standards
- retreat
can describe movement away from progress, but often implies deliberate choice
- reversal
emphasises a complete change to the opposite direction, not necessarily to a prior state
- progress
forward movement or development toward a better state
- advancement
formal, emphasises improvement or forward momentum
文法句型
regression + in/to/toward + noun phrase
a regression + of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with prepositions 'in' (regression in quality/skills) or 'to' (regression to an earlier state). The opposite is 'progress' or 'improvement'.
常見錯誤
2. the process in which a disease, a tumour, or its symptoms become smaller, weaker
緩解；消退
疾病或症狀減輕的過程
the process in which a disease, a tumour, or its symptoms become smaller, weaker, or less severe — for example, when a cancerous growth shrinks after treatment, or when a fever goes down over time.
The MRI scan confirmed a marked regression of the tumour after four chemotherapy sessions.
核磁共振掃描確認，經過四次化療後腫瘤已明顯消退。
collocation: regression of + [tumour/disease]
Hassan felt hopeful when the doctor reported regression of his father's lung infection.
當醫生報告父親的肺部感染出現緩解時，Hassan 感到充滿希望。
Doctors monitor the regression of symptoms closely before deciding to reduce the medication dose.
醫生在決定減少藥量之前，會密切監測症狀的消退情況。
Without immediate treatment, the chance of natural regression in this type of tumour is very low.
若不立即治療，這類腫瘤自然消退的可能性非常低。
- remission
specifically of disease symptoms disappearing for a period; stronger than regression
- subsidence
formal, of swelling, inflammation, or fever going down
- abatement
formal, of symptoms or intensity decreasing
- progression
the spread or worsening of a disease
- worsening
everyday term for deterioration of medical condition
文法句型
regression + of + [disease/symptom]
用法筆記
This medical sense is the opposite of 'progression' (disease getting worse). Do NOT confuse with sense 1 (which means getting worse in general) — only sense 2 describes improvement. Frequently used in oncology and clinical reports.
常見錯誤
3. a mental process in which a person, especially under stress or threat, starts be
退化；退行
心理防衛機制退回較早發展階段
a mental process in which a person, especially under stress or threat, starts behaving in ways that belong to a younger period of life — for example, an adult who throws a tantrum like a child when faced with criticism at work.
Devika's regression to thumb-sucking during exams was a clear sign of heightened anxiety.
Devika 在考試期間出現退化行為開始吸拇指，這是焦慮升高的明顯跡象。
pattern: regression + to + [behaviour]
The psychologist explained that temporary regression in children is normal after a big move or a new sibling arrival.
心理學家解釋說，兒童在搬家或家裡有新弟妹之後出現暫時性的退化是正常的。
domain-specific: psychological regression in children
Romi's regression into baby talk whenever her mother visited puzzled her husband.
Romi 在母親來訪時就會退化到用兒語說話，這讓她的丈夫感到困惑。
Some adults experience age regression in therapy as a way to revisit and heal childhood memories.
有些成年人在治療中經歷年齡退行，作為重訪並療癒童年記憶的一種方式。
- reversion
more general term for returning to a prior state; not specific to psychology
- retrogression
formal synonym, rarer, emphasises backward development
- development
forward progression through developmental stages
- maturation
the process of becoming emotionally and mentally mature
文法句型
regression + to + [earlier developmental stage]
regression + into + [childlike behaviour]
用法筆記
In psychology, this is a recognised defence mechanism (first described by Freud). Distinguish from sense 1: psychological regression is about reverting to an earlier developmental stage, not about general decline. Common in clinical and developmental psychology contexts.
4. a method used in statistics to study how two or more measured variables are conn
迴歸
統計上預測變數關係的分析方法
a method used in statistics to study how two or more measured variables are connected and to use that connection to predict the value of one variable from the others — for example, using people’s years of education and work experience to estimate their likely salary.
The research team applied a linear regression model to forecast electricity demand for the next decade.
研究團隊運用線性迴歸模型來預測未來十年的電力需求。
collocation: linear regression model
Layla ran a regression analysis linking study hours, sleep, and exam scores in her psychology project.
Layla 在她的心理學專題中跑了一次迴歸分析，探討讀書時間、睡眠與考試成績之間的關係。
collocation: regression analysis
Multiple regression can help a business understand which factors most strongly influence customer satisfaction.
多元迴歸可以幫助企業了解哪些因素對顧客滿意度的影響最大。
Asher learned to interpret regression output in his data science class by plotting predicted values against actual ones.
Asher 在資料科學課上學習如何解讀迴歸輸出結果，方法是將預測值與實際值進行比對。
- regression analysis
a synonym; more explicitly names the analytical process
文法句型
regression + model/analysis/line
linear/multiple/logistic + regression
用法筆記
By far the most common technical sense of 'regression' in academic and professional contexts. 'Linear regression' assumes a straight-line relationship between variables; 'multiple regression' uses two or more predictor variables. Always statistical unless the context explicitly names psychology or medicine.