as in deteriorating
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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Recent Examples of retrograding
Among these were melodic concepts like inversion (flipping a tune), transposition (shifting it up or down scales), retrograding (reversal), and translation (movement over time).
—
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Feb. 2026
Mercury retrograding back into Scorpio wants to get to the bottom of your contracts.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
And then comes the 11/11 portal, where Jupiter begins retrograding in Cancer, your sector of home, family, and emotional roots.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Feb. 2026
Mercury retrograding back into Scorpio wants to get to the bottom of your contracts.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025
And then comes the 11/11 portal, where Jupiter begins retrograding in Cancer, your sector of home, family, and emotional roots.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrograding
Verb
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Meanwhile, the situation on the island is deteriorating quickly.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
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The latest round of talks also come in the aftermath of a major anti-regime uprising in Iran, in which protests -- initially sparked by the deteriorating economic conditions inside the country -- spread nationwide.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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New York might be painfully cold, but that hasn’t stopped the fashion pack from dressing up and descending on the city’s icy thoroughfares.—
Jacqueline Kilikita,
Refinery29,
12 Feb. 2026
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Helen could already picture Jeanne’s students descending with their parents.—
Allegra Goodman,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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International airlines are suspending flights to Cuba as the nation continues to face a worsening fuel shortage.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 Feb. 2026
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Poor and minority communities face worsening health risks including cancer, asthma and extreme heat exposure from industrial facilities and climate change impacts.—
Dorany Pineda,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When a production crew arrives to film an alien invasion movie on the crumbling backlot, the janitor decides to vanish alongside the studio itself.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
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With increasing pressure on its energy systems, Cuba is crumbling as energy blackouts throughout the nation have significantly affected its vital tourism industry, food supply and prices, and public and personal transportation.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trump has broken with custom by declining to invite all governors to the traditional White House meeting and dinner.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
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Today, magnet programs have become a general recruitment strategy in a school system with declining enrollment.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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