SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
retrograde
adjective
Moving backward or returning to a less developed or less desirable condition.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Moving backward
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topRetrograde movement is opposite the normal or earlier direction. Contrary can describe disagreement rather than spatial motion.
Returning to a worse state
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topRetrograde evaluates a change as a backward step. Reactionary concerns opposition to social or political change; counterproductive means defeating the intended aim.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See retrograde in use
Abandoning the successful review process seemed a retrograde step.
A proposal to restore the earlier system of unrecorded personal favors struck several residents as retrograde after years of more transparent decisions.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license