RETROGRADING Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

retrograding

verb

present participle of retrograde

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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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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrograding

Verb

In 1922, Kenmore House was deteriorating, and the Kenmore Association and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) needed $30,000 for its repairs and restoration.

— Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 2 July 2026
And his political standing is now suddenly deteriorating to the point where Congress is maybe losing some of its fear, and there may be a different Congress after November.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

Russia's economic situation Long queues have been seen at Russian petrol stations as the country grapples with a worsening fuel crisis.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 July 2026
The result is regional governments left with fewer resources to adapt to the worsening climate crisis, including efforts to combat water scarcity.

— Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026

Definition of worsening

Verb

An islandwide blackout plunged Cuba’s nearly 10 million residents into darkness Monday, exposing a crumbling power grid and dwindling fuel reserves as officials raced to restore electricity.

— Milexsy Durán, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Of course, Microsoft’s browser dominance was crumbling by the time the EU managed to get that implemented.

— Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026

Definition of crumbling

Verb

There has been a lot of hand-wringing about the declining population of Los Angeles County, which lost 54,000 people from July 2024 to July 2025, the biggest numeric population drop in the nation during that period, by far.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
For years now, Olathe Schools has talked about its problem of declining enrollment.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026

Definition of declining

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retrogrades

retrograding

retrogress

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“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of retrograding

verb

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