return to form

Back to excellence

A return to form is a recovery of one's previous level of skill, quality, or success after a period of decline or disappointment.

The phrase is used especially in sports and entertainment, where performers or teams are expected to maintain high standards.

After two losing seasons, the championship was a welcome return to form for the franchise.

The expression implies that the earlier excellence was the person's true capability, temporarily obscured.

Related

back on track · restore · recapture · former glory · comeback · resurgence · career revival · resilience · reinvention · second wind · glory days · old magic · breakthrough · craftsmanship · mastery · hitting stride · improvement · mend

Opposites
performance trajectory

return to formdownward spiral

Self-reinforcing deterioration

deterioration · regression · decline · falling off · worsening

consistency/reliability

return to forminconsistency

Lack of steady pattern

unreliability · unpredictability

Family

return, form, returns, returned, returning, returner, forms, formed, forming

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G