retroactive
adjective
ret·ro·ac·tive
ˌre-trō-ˈak-tiv 
: extending in scope or effect to a prior time or to conditions that existed or originated in the past
especially
: made effective as of a date prior to enactment, promulgation, or imposition
retroactive tax
retroactively
adverb
Did you know?
We normally think of time as constantly moving forward. Since retroactive seems to defy time's forward movement, retroactive taxes, laws, and regulations are often seen as particularly obnoxious and unfair. But nobody ever objects to receiving a retroactive raise at work. When we judge historical people and events in terms of present-day morality and attitudes, our retroactive judgments may indicate that we're too impressed with ourselves and ignorant of history.
Examples of retroactive in a Sentence
They all received a retroactive pay raise.
The new tax will be retroactive to January 1.
Recent Examples on the Web
Federal workers typically receive retroactive pay when the government reopens.
—
Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Oct. 2025
Total taxpayer savings could amount to an additional $50 billion because the IRS has yet to update its withholding tables to account for new provisions retroactive to the start of 2025, Oxford lead economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in a report this week.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
At the same time, lawmakers are considering legislation to reaffirm the 2019 guarantee of retroactive pay.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Regulation shouldn’t be a retroactive fix but a design principle.
—Sean Evins, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retroactive
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Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Oct. 2025
Total taxpayer savings could amount to an additional $50 billion because the IRS has yet to update its withholding tables to account for new provisions retroactive to the start of 2025, Oxford lead economist Nancy Vanden Houten said in a report this week.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
At the same time, lawmakers are considering legislation to reaffirm the 2019 guarantee of retroactive pay.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
Regulation shouldn’t be a retroactive fix but a design principle.
—Sean Evins, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for retroactive
Cite this Entry
“Retroactive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retroactive. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
retroactive
adjective
ret·ro·ac·tive
ˌre-trō-ˈak-tiv
: intended to apply or take effect at a date in the past
a retroactive pay raise
retroactively
adverb
Medical Definition
retroactive
adjective
ret·ro·ac·tive
ˌre-trō-ˈak-tiv
: having relation or reference to or efficacy in a prior time
specifically
: relating to, caused by, or being obliteration of the results of learning by immediately subsequent activity
retroactive inhibition
Legal Definition
retroactive
adjective
ret·ro·ac·tive
ˌre-trō-ˈak-tiv
: extending in scope or effect to a prior time or to conditions that existed or originated in the past
especially
: made effective as of a date prior to enactment, promulgation, or imposition
a retroactive tax
see also ex post facto law
retroactively
adverb
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