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retrogrades

verb

present tense third-person singular of retrograde
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value the Dark Ages, the period following the fall of the Roman Empire when Western civilization seriously retrograded

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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 retrogrades Then comes 11/11, the astro-numerological portal, and with it, Jupiter retrogrades into Cancer, your sector of wellness, service, and daily rituals. — Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrogrades
  1. deteriorates
  2. descends
  3. worsens
  4. declines
  5. crumbles
  6. degenerates
Verb
  • Keep the effort easy enough that your movement quality improves rather than deteriorates.
    — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Cuba has experienced frequent and prolonged blackouts as its aging power infrastructure deteriorates and the country struggles with severe fuel shortages.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of deteriorates
Verb
  • What begins as an awkward diplomatic retreat descends into humiliation, manipulation, and psychological power games.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Color begins near 10,000 feet in September, and then descends roughly 500 to 1,000 feet per week.
    — Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of descends
Verb
  • The musician, 60, sat down with Tamron Hall for a candid conversation about living with Parkinson’s disease, which affects the nervous system, can affect movement and often worsens over time.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • While the Science study found workers in remote-friendly jobs had higher levels of mental distress, other experts cautioned against the idea that remote work alone worsens mental health.
    — Cordilia James, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of worsens
Verb
  • Indeed, in her devotion to sparkle, Pechman declines to probe too deeply into any of the industry’s more hurtful or exploitative dimensions.
    — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
  • At the same time, some longtime communities have seen Latino population declines, including Logan Square, Avondale, Albany Park, Irving Park and Pilsen.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of declines
Verb
  • The Packers’ identity is that of a team that can’t shut the door, one that crumbles when momentum turns in a hostile away environment.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • All of the big talk about personal drive, which makes Free Solo so darkly compelling, immediately crumbles into selfish pablum the second that children are introduced into the equation.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of crumbles
Verb
  • Volume 1 about a troubled pregnant woman who accepts an invite to a dinner party which degenerates into a bloody and demented nightmare.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of degenerates

Browse Nearby Words

retrograded
retrogrades
retrograding
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Cite this Entry

“Retrogrades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrogrades. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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