regressive

adjective

re·gres·sive ri-ˈgre-siv

: tending to regress or produce regression

: being, characterized by, or developing in the course of an evolutionary process involving increasing simplification of bodily structure

: decreasing in rate as the base increases

a regressive tax

regressively adverb

regressiveness noun

regressivity

ˌrē-ˌgre-ˈsi-və-tē

noun

Examples of regressive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dolores Cannon, who refined a method of regressive hypnotherapy by which subjects felt able to encounter their own past lives, has been an enormous consolation and inspiration to me during times of anxiety and 21st-century world-fear. —

New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Lotteries are regressive, meaning lower-income groups spend more of their budgets on lottery games than higher-income groups. —

Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Oct. 2023 Scully, who was immersed in country music growing up in Texas but often felt disillusioned by the ways the genre could feel regressive or exclusionary, praises Childers for the directness of the video’s convention-busting message. —

Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2023 Powerball tends to be the least regressive lottery game, Cohen said, because wealthier people tend to buy tickets when jackpots soar. —

Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Oct. 2023 There is a growing trend of minorities spinning off into entrepreneurial endeavors to sidestep regressive corporate culture. —

Elaine Welteroth, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023 Whispers that after all the talk of change in 2017 the pendulum is swinging back to a more regressive approach to business have spread through Hollywood. —

Time, 17 Aug. 2023 From Victoria Rowell, the actress and former ballerina, to TV producer Susan Fales-Hill, to the late dancer Raven Wilkinson, such women became crucial anchors as Copeland navigated the grueling pace of classical ballet, as well as its regressive race and gender politics. —

Dessane Lopez Cassell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023 And those changes, however productive or regressive, build on the foundation of the past. —

Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regressive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.