A starting or falling back; as the recoil of fire-arms; the recoil of nature of the blood.
Word of the Day: Catachrestical
1. To move or start back; to roll back; as, a cannon recoils when fired; waves recoil from the shore.
2. To fall back; to retire.
3. To rebound; as, the blow recoils.
4. To retire; to flow back; as, the blood recoils with horror at the sight.
6. To return. The evil will recoil upon his own head.
To drive back. [Not used.]
1. A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking; as, the recoil of nature, or of the blood.
2. The state or condition of having recoiled.
3. Specifically, the reaction or rebounding of a firearm when discharged.
1. To start, roll, bound, spring, or fall back; to take a reverse motion; to be driven or forced backward; to return.
3. To turn or go back; to withdraw one's self; to retire.
To draw or go back.
One who, or that which, recoils.
The act of starting or falling back; a shrinking; revolt.
Starting or falling back; retiring; shrinking.
With starting back or retrocession.
In the manner of a recoil.
Reversion Roget’s Thesaurus §145
N. reversion, return, revulsion, turning point, turn of the tide, status quo ante bellum, calm before a storm, alternation, inversion, recoil, retreat, regression, retrogression, restoration, relapse, recidivism, atavism, vicinism, v, revert, turn back, regress, relapse, recoil, retreat, restore, undo, unmake, turn the tide, roll back the tide, turn the scale, tip the scale
Adv. a rebours
Recoil Roget’s Thesaurus §277
N. recoil, reaction, retroaction, revulsion, bounce, # rebound, ricochet, repercussion, recalcitration, kick, contrecoup, springing back, elasticity, reflection, reflexion, reflex, reflux, reverberation, rebuff, repulse, return, ducks and drakes, boomerang, spring, reactionist, elastic collision, coefficient of restitution
V. recoil, react, spring back, fly back, bounce back, bound back, rebound, reverberate, repercuss, recalcitrate, echo, ricochet
Adv. on the rebound, on the recoil
Phr. for every action there is a reaction equal in force and opposite in direction, 4, motion with reference to direction
Recession Roget’s Thesaurus §287
V. recede, go, move back, move from, retire, withdraw, shrink, back off, come away, move away, back away, go away, get away, drift away, depart, retreat, move off, stand off, sheer off, fall back, stand aside, run away, remove, shunt, distance
Adj. receding
Phr. distance oneself from a person
Unwillingness Roget’s Thesaurus §603
N. unwillingness, indisposition, indisposedness, disinclination, aversation, nolleity, nolition, renitence, renitency, reluctance, indifference, backwardness, slowness, want of alacrity, want of readiness, indocility, scrupulousness, scrupulosity, qualms of conscience, twinge of conscience, delicacy, demur, scruple, qualm, shrinking, recoil, hesitation, fastidiousness, averseness, dissent, refusal
V. be unwilling, nill, dislike, grudge, begrudge, not be able to find it in one's heart to, not have the stomach to, demur, stick at, scruple, stickle, hang fire, run rusty, recoil, shrink, swerve, hesitate, avoid, oppose, dissent, refuse
Adj. unwilling, not in the vein, loth, loath, shy of, disinclined, indisposed, averse, reluctant, not content, adverse, laggard, backward, remiss, slack, slow to, indifferent, scrupulous, squeamish, repugnant, restiff|, restive, demurring, unconsenting, involuntary
Adv. unwillingly, grudgingly, with a heavy heart, with a bad, with an ill grace, against one's wishes, against one's will, against the grain, sore against one's wishes, sore against one's will, sore against one's grain, invita minerva, a contre caeur, malgre soi, in spite of one's teeth, in spite of oneself, nolens volens, perforce, under protest, no, not for the world, far be it from me
Avoidance Roget’s Thesaurus §623
N. abstention, abstinence, for bearance, refraining, inaction, neutrality, avoidance, evasion, elusion, seclusion, avolation|, flight, escape, retreat, recoil, departure, rejection, shirker, truant, fugitive, refugee, runaway, runagate, maroon
V. abstain, refrain, spare, not attempt, not do, maintain the even tenor of one's way, eschew, keep from, let alone, have nothing to do with, keep aloof keep off, stand aloof, stand off, hold aloof, hold off, take no part in, have no hand in, avoid, shun, steer clear of, keep clear of, fight shy of, keep one's distance, keep at a respectful distance, keep out of the way, get out of the way, evade, elude, turn away from, set one's face against, deny oneself, shrink back, hang back, hold back, draw back, recoil, retire, flinch, blink, blench, shy, shirk, dodge, parry, make way for, give place to, beat a retreat, turn tail, turn one's back, take to one's heels, runaway, run for one's life, cut and run, be off like a shot, fly, flee, fly away, flee away, run away from, take flight, take to flight, desert, elope, make off, scamper off, sneak off, shuffle off, sheer off, break away, tear oneself away, slip away, slink away, steel away, make away from, scamper away from, sneak away from, shuffle away from, sheer away from, slip cable, part company, turn one's heel, sneak out of, play truant, give one the go by, give leg bail, take french leave, slope, decamp, flit, bolt, abscond, levant, skedaddle, absquatulate, cut one's stick, walk one's chalks, show a light pair of heels, make oneself scarce, escape, go away, abandon, reject, lead one a dance, lead one a pretty dance, throw off the scent, play at hide and seek
Adj. unsought, lest, unattempted, in order to avoid, avoiding, neutral, shy of, elusive, evasive, fugitive, runaway, shy, wild
Int. forbear, keep off, hands off, sauve qui peut, [French: every man for himself], devil take the hindmost, phr, "things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme"
King James Bible KJV Bible
Berean Standard Bible BSB Bible
0 KJV and 2 BSB verses contain “recoil”
And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
Then all who see you will recoil from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will grieve for her?’ Where can I find comforters for you?”
