regression meaning and definition

REGRESSION noun

Definition of regression (noun)

1. an abnormal state in which development has stopped prematurely
   • synonyms: arrested development, fixation, infantile fixation
2. (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which you flee from reality by assuming a more infantile state
3. the relation between selected values of x and observed values of y (from which the most probable value of y can be predicted for any value of x)
   • synonyms: regression toward the mean, simple regression, statistical regression
4. returning to a former state
   • synonyms: regress, retrogression, retroversion, reversion