1
as in reverting
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 deteriorating
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of regressing
Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
When Wilson was regressing into drugs and obesity, Landy was rehired six years later, the outlet shared.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regressing
Verb
-
Other changes include renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and reverting Alaska's Denali mountain to Mount McKinley.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The president has similarly hinted at soon reverting the Department of Defense to the Department of War, the name the Cabinet’s military department bore from 1789 until 1947.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In both Camp 6 and another detention facility, migrants reported unsanitary conditions, poor hygiene and deteriorating infrastructure.—
Mauricio Torres,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
-
By then, the humanitarian situation was deteriorating quickly.—
Tom Bowman,
NPR,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Brown spent more than five years in prison for robbery with a deadly weapon before returning home to his mother.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The six returning starters are 12-0, and the five starters elevated from within the program are 10-0.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Affirm went public on the Nasdaq in 2021 and — like Klarna — took a battering in 2022 as worsening macroeconomic conditions resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war hammered tech stocks.—
Ryan Browne,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Florida, along with California and Texas, is particularly vulnerable to worsening natural disasters fueled by climate change, and the cost to insure a home has risen precipitously as a result.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The film got some of the best reviews at Sundance in January, then went to Berlin, where Rose Byrne got that festival’s Best Actress prize for her role as a mother who’s crumbling under the pressure of (among other things) a sick kid and a flooded apartment.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The catalyst for this a meeting with the school’s board — who look more like trustafarian hedge managers than social workers — where it is revealed that the grand but crumbling school building is going to be sold off at the end of the year.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Burberry's share price has fallen sharply over recent years, declining almost 80% from April 2023 to September 2024, as waning sales and a slew of management changes exacerbated a wider luxury downturn.—
Karen Gilchrist,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
-
That growing influencer base among podcasters contrasts with the declining reach of legacy TV networks and cable channels.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In late December 1980, US Air Force personnel stationed at RAF Woodbridge saw strange lights descending into the forest.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Another cold front is descending across the Great Lakes region later Wednesday.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Regressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regressing. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share