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spontaneous recovery
noun
: reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response without positive reinforcement
Examples of spontaneous recovery in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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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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