backslider

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English backslide Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzijos Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English backslider From backslide + -er.

1. A recidivist; one who backslides, especially in a religious sense; an apostate.

   “She married him thinking to change his ways, and for a while he got religion, but he was ever a backslider; she soon began finding bottles stashed about the house.”

   “At night the Red Elephant Tusk boomed and groaned among the hills, and the faithful waked and said: ‘The God of Things as They Are matures revenge against the backsliders.’”

2. One who will not do his work or shoulder his responsibilities.