a recurrent pattern

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "a recurrent pattern" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation, behavior, or trend that occurs repeatedly over time. Example: "The data revealed a recurrent pattern in customer purchasing behavior during the holiday season."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

39 human-written examples

It is a cycle seemingly without meaning or end, one of many that confirms the wheel as the central image of McGahern's work: the identification of life as a recurrent pattern.

The Guardian - Books

Justice Sotomayor writes as someone with considerable self-knowledge, and she points out that there has been a recurrent pattern in her life.

The New York Times - Books

And the strategies employed in this editorial exemplify a recurrent pattern occurring across all the texts within the data set.

Functional Linguistics

Solutions obtained running the proposed method on simple synthetic datasets allowed to identify a recurrent pattern, which has been found in more complex, synthetic and real, datasets.

Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling

Anxiety and apprehension have been observed in beginning nursing students as a recurrent pattern, particularly when students are entering upper level foundational nursing courses.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences

The results from the study show that there is a recurrent pattern in the frequency of behaviors and performance across different courses.

Computers in Human Behavior

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

21 human-written examples

Pathological gambling (PG) is defined as a maladaptive and recurrent pattern of gambling behaviours that persists despite substantial negative consequences for the individual, his/her work, and his/her family [ 1].

BioMed Research International

Data suggests a relation to previous headaches (migraine in particular) so probably it is just a reflection of its recurrent pattern.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

Among the 538 remaining cases, we observed a few recurrent patterns of misannotation: in 154 (28.6%) cases, the annotated coding region in Ensembl ends exactly at the Sec-UGA site (mostly for families with a C-terminal Sec), while in 100 (18.6%) cases starts downstream of it (for families with a N-terminal/central Sec).

Bioinformatics

Although patients with TNBCs were reported to have a poor prognosis [ 6, 39], the recurrent pattern of TNBCs was different from non-TNBCs [ 40- 42].

BMC Cancer

A recurrent data pattern, however, demonstrating a positive relation between supplement intake and respectively nutritional status and EORTC QLQ function scores, as well as an inverse relation between supplement intake and EORTC symptom scores was observed irrespective of the study group (data not shown).

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "a recurrent pattern" to highlight predictability or repetition in data, behaviors, or events. It's effective when you want to emphasize the consistent nature of something.

Common error

Avoid using "recurrent pattern" when you simply mean something is frequent. "Recurrent" implies that the pattern repeats or returns after an interval, not just that it happens often. If there's no cyclical aspect, "frequent" or "common" might be more appropriate.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "a recurrent pattern" functions as a noun phrase, acting as a subject, object, or complement in a sentence. It describes a situation where the same sequence of events or behaviors repeats over time, implying predictability. As shown by Ludwig, the phrase is accepted as correct and can be incorporated in different contexts.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

60%

News & Media

25%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "a recurrent pattern" is a noun phrase used to emphasize the repetitive or cyclical nature of events, behaviors, or data. Ludwig AI identifies this phrase as grammatically correct and commonly used across different domains, but recommends it's best to avoid using it when you simply mean something is frequent. The phrase appears most frequently in science and news contexts, reflecting its utility in analytical and descriptive writing. For alternatives, consider "a periodic pattern" or "a repeating pattern" to vary your phrasing while maintaining accuracy. Use this phrase when emphasizing the repeated predictable nature of something, for example in describing data trends or behavioral tendencies.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a periodic pattern

Changes "recurrent" to "periodic", emphasizing the regularity of the pattern.

a cyclical pattern

Replaces "recurrent" with "cyclical", highlighting the circular nature of the pattern.

a repeating pattern

Substitutes "recurrent" with "repeating", a more straightforward synonym.

a regular pattern

Uses "regular" instead of "recurrent", focusing on the consistency of the pattern.

a recurring theme

Shifts from "pattern" to "theme", suitable when referring to abstract ideas or motifs.

a familiar refrain

Employs "familiar refrain" to suggest something heard or seen often.

a persistent trend

Replaces "recurrent pattern" with "persistent trend", implying a continuous development.

an established habit

Changes "pattern" to "habit", suitable when describing behaviors.

a common occurrence

Uses "common occurrence" to indicate something that happens frequently.

a habitual practice

Switches to "habitual practice", referring to a customary way of doing something.

FAQs

How can I effectively use "a recurrent pattern" in a sentence?

Use "a recurrent pattern" to emphasize the repetitive or cyclical nature of an event, behavior, or trend. For example, "The study identified "a recurrent pattern" of seasonal unemployment in the region" highlights the predictability of unemployment spikes.

What are some alternatives to using "a recurrent pattern"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "a periodic pattern", "a repeating pattern", or "a cyclical trend". The choice depends on whether you want to emphasize regularity, repetition, or cyclical behavior.

Is there a difference between "a recurrent pattern" and "a repetitive pattern"?

While similar, "a recurrent pattern" implies a return after an interval, whereas "a repetitive pattern" simply suggests that something is repeated. "Recurrent" emphasizes predictability over mere repetition.

When is it inappropriate to use the phrase "a recurrent pattern"?

Avoid using "a recurrent pattern" if you only intend to convey that something is frequent but not necessarily returning or repeating in a predictable way. In such cases, "a common occurrence" or "a frequent event" may be more suitable.