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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Now the war has turned into a race to stabilize the rapidly deteriorating global economic order, central to which is reopening the Strait of Hormuz.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
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Her mother, Maria Alejandra, had told me in long, vivid emails about some of more serious concerns about her and her daughter’s deteriorating mental and physical health during their prolonged detention.—
Mica Rosenberg,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With the main entrance positioned above the building, visitors access the wellness center via a descending staircase and a gently curving ramp.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Mar. 2026
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Her photo of the results, showing multiple blue spots descending the stairs, was shown in court.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The goal is to facilitate talks and secure an easing of the White House pressure campaign to isolate Cuba through a de facto oil blockade that is causing crippling fuel shortages and worsening blackouts, according to several people familiar with the talks.—
Anthony Faiola,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
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But by the evening, lawmakers were still struggling to reach an agreement to end the impasse, even as many viewed the worsening situation at the nation's airports as untenable.—
Sam Gringlas,
NPR,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The crumbling industrial scenery by Riccardo Hernández is visually stunning and versatile, and it’s gorgeously illuminated by lighting designer Robert Wierzel.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
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Surrounded by vicious and violent hitmen that have been pressed into service as childcare, Juan Pablo must reckon with his father's crumbling power and find his own way in the world after his death.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While the data show overall birth outcomes improving — declining rates of prematurity, low birth weight, and infant mortality — disparities are still prevalent, particularly for Black women.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Mar. 2026
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The grand jury had the options of handing up an indictment, declining to indict and issuing a report known as a presentment.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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