regressive

adjective

re·​gres·​sive ri-ˈgre-siv 

1

: tending to regress or produce regression

2

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

3

: 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

Others said the ad was regressive, highlighting a blonde bombshell and catering to the objectifying male gaze. —Anika Reed, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

Also, Pritzker and the legislature have failed to fix the regressive property tax system in Illinois. —Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026

In the Bay Area, counties are bracing for catastrophic losses; Santa Clara County alone projects a shortfall of up to $1 billion over the next few years, forcing local governments to scramble for regressive sales taxes to fund what progressive federal taxes once covered. —Markos Kounalakis, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026

Captive in bucolic panopticons, their lives are at once aesthetically alluring, depressingly regressive and anthropologically fascinating. —Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1634, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for regressive

• aggressive
• compressive
• concessive
• depressive
• excessive
• expressive
• impressive
• obsessive
• oppressive
• possessive
• progressive
• recessive

Kids Definition

regressive

adjective

re·​gres·​sive ri-ˈgres-iv 

1

: of, relating to, or tending toward regression

2

: gradually decreasing

a regressive tax

Medical Definition

regressive

adjective

re·​gres·​sive ri-ˈgres-iv 

: relating to, resulting from, producing, or characterized by regression

regressive behavior

regressive tissue changes