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
Neptune, retrograding back to Pisces, wants to find out.
—
Usa Today, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Uranus is retrograding in Gemini for five months, and that’s lighting up your self-esteem and money zone.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 31 Aug. 2025
Usa Today, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, Uranus is retrograding in Gemini for five months, and that’s lighting up your self-esteem and money zone.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrograding
Verb
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For now, all that can be said for certain, judging by the latest implosion in his current employers West Ham’s fast-deteriorating season, is that nobody has benefited from his falling-out with Edu and the sequence of events that brought about Nuno’s exit from the City Ground.—
Daniel Taylor,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Iran has been racked by protests over the past several days around deteriorating economic conditions in the country, made worse by a growing water crisis and severe sanctions against Tehran.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The trail stays level early on and crosses the road a couple of times before descending through a grove of Arizona cypress to a shallow drainage.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Senate’s negotiations on reopening the government are descending into another impasse.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The next year, there was a nearly 10 percent rise in homelessness in the city, worsening an already difficult situation.—
Saumya Roy,
The Dial,
6 Jan. 2026
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Hurricane Milton also opened Milton Pass, slicing Stump Pass Beach State Park in half and destabilizing nearby barrier islands, which could lead to worsening beach erosion.—
Jack Prator,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The ensuing 2022-23 season saw Rayo beat both Barca and Madrid when Spain’s big two came to their crumbling Estadio Vallecas.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Frank’s crew rolls into the crumbling squat that is Colombian HQ, sporting body armor and flamethrowers.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Autophagy means detecting and removing cells that are declining in functional capacity and replacing them with new cells.—
Bryant Stamford,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
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However, Gallup's polling also shows declining support among Republicans.—
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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