backsliding
part of speech
noun (backsliding – uncountable); verb form (of «backslide»: backslide, backslides, backslid, backsliding)
meaning for a pupil
1) Going back to bad old habits after you had been doing better. tree →
2) (church) Falling away from faith or from living as a Christian after having been committed. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In Jeremiah it means Israel turning away from God and going back to idols. God calls on the "backsliding" people to return. Interpretation: Tradition reads Jeremiah's call as an invitation to repent. The prophet says God is merciful and will welcome His people home if they return. In the primary lessons: In church language, a «backslider» is someone who has turned away from faith; preachers in the 1800s used the word often. In everyday life it means slipping back: after New Year's resolutions, backsliding into eating too many sweets. In The Wind in the Willows Toad promises to be good, then backslides as soon as he sees a motor car.
examples
- How long wilt thou turn away coyly, O thou backsliding daughter? (Prophets JER.31.22, JPS 1917) tree →
- Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? (Prophets JER.8.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- even the LORD said unto me — backsliding Israel hath proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. (Prophets JER.3.11, JPS 1917) tree →
- After a week of early nights, there was some backsliding at the weekend. tree →
- The preacher warned the people against backsliding. tree →
- Toad promised to change, but his backsliding began at once. tree →
- We must stop backsliding into old bad habits. tree →
- Christians believe God forgives the backsliding person who comes back. tree →
- My diet lasted two days before the backsliding started. tree →
note
Uncountable as a noun. Verb past: «backslid». A person is «a backslider».
In the corpora
- even the LORD said unto me — backsliding Israel hath proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.
- Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding?
- How long wilt thou turn away coyly, O thou backsliding daughter?
- I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for Mine anger is turned away from him.
- «You backsliding animal» cries the Badger (backsliding = slipping back into bad ways).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «backsliding» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.