retrograde

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adjective ret·ro·grade \ ˈre-trə-ˌgrād \

Definition of retrograde

1 a (1) :having or being motion in a direction contrary to that of the general motion of similar bodies and especially east to west among the stars

Saturn is retrograde for another week

(2) :having or being a direction of rotation or revolution that is clockwise as viewed from the north pole of the sky or a planet

a retrograde orbit

b (1) :moving, occurring, or performed in a backward direction

(2) :occurring or performed in a direction opposite to the normal or forward direction of conduction or flow — compare anterograde 1

c :contrary to the normal order :inverse

2 :tending toward or resulting in a worse or previous state

3 archaic :contradictory, opposed

4 :characterized by retrogression

5 :affecting memories of a period prior to a precipitating event (such as brain injury or disease)

retrograde amnesia

6 :retro

retrograde fashion

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retrogradely

adverb

See retrograde defined for English-language learners

See retrograde defined for kids

Examples of retrograde in a Sentence

a retrograde policy that would leave more people poorer than they are now
retrograde pedaling will engage the brakes on that bike

Recent Examples of retrograde from the Web

Attending private institutions would not have inoculated the president from the retrograde learning of this era, because private schools often used the same history textbooks and curricula as their public counterparts.

— matt ford, The Atlantic, "What Trump's Generation Learned About the Civil War," 28 Aug. 2017
Johnson rebelled against retrograde social norms, making no attempt to act humbly or hide his carousing with white women.

— adam kilgore, chicagotribune.com, "Racial conflict sells boxing matches. Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are its latest pitchmen.," 23 Aug. 2017
In this situation, a procedure called an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography may be needed.

— andrea k. mcdaniels, baltimoresun.com, "Gallstones can cause complications during pregnancy," 9 Aug. 2017
Mercury goes retrograde on Saturday, impacting relationships within your community.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What This Week's Horoscope Means for You," 7 Aug. 2017
Mercury, your ruler, goes retrograde again on Saturday in your sign.

— aurora tower, Cosmopolitan, "Your Horoscope for the Week of August 7," 6 Aug. 2017
Early Thursday morning, Uranus goes retrograde in Aries.

— claire comstock-gay, The Cut, "Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of July 31," 31 July 2017
Films that have been blasted as sexist and retrograde, like Showgirls, do pass it.

— kyle smith, National Review, "I Retract My Criticism of the Bechdel Test. Kidding.," 17 July 2017
But asking employers to specifically accommodate women’s most mundane biological attribute—while helpful to those who suffer severe pain—seems overall like a retrograde request, especially considering how far women have come without it.

— claire zillman, Fortune, "The World’s Most Powerful Women: July 12," 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'retrograde.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Retrograde describes backwardness of one kind or another. If a country decided to go back to amputating the limbs of criminals, we might call that policy retrograde. A retrograde view of women might be one that sees them basically as housekeepers. Mars and Jupiter show retrograde (backward) motion at some stages of their orbits, though this is only because of the way we see them from the earth, not because of any real backward movement.

Origin and Etymology of retrograde

Middle English, from Latin retrogradus, from retrogradi

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

retrograde Synonyms

Synonyms

rearward, backward

Antonyms

contemporary, current, hot, mod, modern, modernist, modernistic, new age, newfangled, new-fashioned, present-day, red-hot, space-age, state-of-the-art, ultramodern, up-to-date

Related Words

reverse, reversed; aft, after, hind, posterior, rear; astern, sternforemost

Near Antonyms

forward

Other Astronomy Terms

gibbous, nadir, nebulous, penumbra, sidereal, syzygy, wane, wax, zenith

retrograde

adverb

Definition of retrograde

:backward, reversely

First Known Use of retrograde

circa 1620

retrograde

verb

Definition of retrograde

transitive verb

archaic :to turn back :reverse

intransitive verb

1 a :to go back :retreat

b :to go back over or recapitulate something

2 :to decline to a worse condition

Examples of retrograde in a Sentence

the Dark Ages, the period following the fall of the Roman Empire when Western civilization seriously retrograded

Recent Examples of retrograde from the Web

If family drama has been bringing you down recently, things improve dramatically after Friday when heavy Saturn finally goes direct, after having been retrograde since April.

— aurora tower, Cosmopolitan, "Your Horoscopes for the Week of August 21," 20 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of retrograde

Latin retrogradi, from retro- + gradi to go — more at grade

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1582

See Words from the same year

retrograde Synonyms

Synonyms

atrophy, crumble, decay, decline, degenerate, descend, devolve, ebb, regress, deteriorate, rot, sink, worsen

Antonyms

ameliorate, improve, meliorate

Related Words

abate, de-escalate, diminish, downsize, dwindle, recede, wane; break down, corrupt, decompose, degrade, dilapidate, disintegrate, molder, putrefy; sour, spoil; lessen, lower, reduce; debilitate, undermine; droop, fail, fall, flag, lag, languish, run down, sag, slip, waste (away), weaken, wilt

Near Antonyms

better, upgrade; enhance, enrich, fortify, heighten, intensify, strengthen; advance, develop, march, proceed, progress

RETROGRADE Defined for English Language Learners

retrograde

play

adjective

Definition of retrograde for English Language Learners

: returning to an earlier and usually worse state or condition
: moving backward

Medical Dictionary

retrograde

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adjective ret·ro·grade \ ˈre-trə-ˌgrād \

medical Definition of retrograde

1 :characterized by retrogression

2 :affecting memories of a period prior to a precipitating event (as brain injury or disease)

In retrograde amnesia, the victim can remember only what has happened since he lost his memory; everything before that is irretrievable.
—Jean Seligmann, Newsweek, 29 Sept. 1986

— compare anterograde 1

3 :occurring or performed in a direction opposite to the normal or forward direction of conduction or flow: as

a :occurring along nerve cell processes toward the cell body

retrograde axonal transport

retrograde degeneration of nerve fibers

b :occurring opposite to the normal direction or path of blood circulation

apply bandaging to the lower extremities to produce pressure to reduce retrograde blood flow in veins with incompetent valves

— compare anterograde 2

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retrogradely

adverb

- The ablation catheter was then inserted through the right femoral arterial sheath and advanced retrogradely into the left ventricle.
- —Warren M. Jackman, The New England Journal of Medicine, 6 June 1991