1
as in to revert
to go back to a previous and usually lower state or level
in extreme circumstances, people sometimes regress to the behavior they exhibited in childhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to deteriorate
to become worse or of less value
the annual celebration has regressed to the point where it's nothing more than an excuse to get drunk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in regression
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of regress
Anne Tapp Jaksa, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2025
And there’s a lot of people telling them to regress, to be expecting women to take their last names, and to stay at home and to make lots of babies and to not ask too many questions.
—Miles Bryan, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
Without Landy, Wilson quickly regressed — back on drugs, overeating, retreating to his bedroom.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for regress
Verb
From the days when enslaved people were legally forbidden from learning to read, to the fight for desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education, to the overturning of affirmative action, schools have both reflected and shaped racial progress and regress in America.
—Anne Tapp Jaksa, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2025
And there’s a lot of people telling them to regress, to be expecting women to take their last names, and to stay at home and to make lots of babies and to not ask too many questions.
—Miles Bryan, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Noun
This major shift has fueled arguments that the U.S. has regressed from efforts toward racial equity and thus undermined the meaning of Juneteenth.
—Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
Without Landy, Wilson quickly regressed — back on drugs, overeating, retreating to his bedroom.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for regress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regress
Verb
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His demands include asking the company to revert back to open-source and an injunction to prevent OpenAI execs from profiting from AGI.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
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During President Donald Trump's second presidency, his administration has designated English as the national language, removed hundreds of books from military libraries that are about race relations and LGBTQ+ history in the United States, and reverted military bases to their Confederate names.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The Astros traded Pressly as a pure salary dump, influenced in part by his deteriorating relationship with general manager Dana Brown.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Kenya’s deteriorating economy — youth unemployment stands at 67% — has turned the country into a tinderbox: Yesterday’s protests were preceded by violent demonstrations against the killing of a blogger while in police custody, leaving many seeking answers.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
27 June 2025
Noun
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After living under a state government often characterized by inaction, regression or outright hostility to such progressive values, California’s governance is a relative model of responsiveness and foresight.—
DeAndre Evans,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
-
Boyle has noted in numerous interviews, including this chat with Kermode and Mayo, that one of the things that fascinated him about the quarantine zone of 28 Years Later was the potential for a kind of cultural regression.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
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This experience showed me that luxury brands don't return as clients for pretty things alone.—
Kristina Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Hammer agreed with Khalil’s lawyers and ordered that the green card be returned.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Some locals in Venice, which has dealt with overtourism that has strained the city’s infrastructure and services for years, will protest the wedding over concerns its scale will worsen some of the issues created by excessive tourist crowds.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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Maybe Meta made subtle changes in its training recipe that accidentally worsened the memorization problem.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
20 June 2025
Verb
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LeBron James already opted in to a $52.6 million deal with the Lakers for next season, the Rockets traded for Durant and the Los Angeles Clippers saw James Harden decline his option in return for a new deal and a raise.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 July 2025
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Three players ultimately declined to participate this time around: Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and Barry Bonds.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Last year, Japan saw record numbers of international visitors, many of whom descend on regions like Kyoto to buy high-grade matcha rarely available overseas.—
HubSpot,
HubSpot,
20 June 2025
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The sixty-eight-year-old Harold Boyd was lifting weights inside his modest home gym when the brothers descended the basement steps.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
18 June 2025
Verb
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The San Francisco company’s shares took a dive Monday after its partnership with Novo Nordisk crumbled.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
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Top each bowl with fresh cilantro, lime juice, and crumbled Cotija cheese.—
Sarah Martens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regress. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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