Recidivist \Re*cid"i*vist\, n. One who is recidivous or is characterized by recidivism; an incorrigible criminal. -- {Re*cid`i*vis"tic}, a. The criminal by passion never becomes a recidivist, it is the social, not the antisocial, instincts that are strong within him, his crime is a solitary event in his life. --Havelock Ellis.