spontaneous recovery

noun

: reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response without positive reinforcement

Examples of spontaneous recovery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And why do some people get better, like the few study participants who had a spontaneous recovery, while many others don’t? Isabella Cueto, STAT, 21 Feb. 2024 Long Covid does not seem to be self-resolving, in the sense of spontaneous recovery or recovery in the absence of a cure or a treatment that’s been validated. Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 20 Sep. 2023 Sales of headache medicines—and spontaneous recovery rates—also spike when barometric pressure drops, the researchers say. Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 6 Apr. 2021 In both studies, the patients needed the stimulator to be on to walk, helping to rule out the idea that this was spontaneous recovery. Carolyn Y. Johnson, The Seattle Times, 24 Sep. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spontaneous recovery was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near spontaneous recovery

Cite this Entry

“Spontaneous recovery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spontaneous%20recovery. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

spontaneous recovery

noun
: reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response without positive reinforcement
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