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

But even with its new foundation and sweeping ceiling, the history of the old, deteriorating barn won’t be lost.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
In the four months before killing her three children and attempting to kill herself, Lindsay Clancy desperately sought help for her deteriorating mental condition.

— Tara Bannow, STAT, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

This novel’s narrator is a dog who lives on a farm in a nameless country that is descending into war.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
United Airlines Flight 175, another Boeing 767 aircraft, which departed from Boston, was descending and heading for New York City.

— Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of descending

Verb

Transportation officials posted a video showing severe erosion jeopardizing the train tracks used by Metrolink in San Clemente, with strong ocean waves crashing on the tracks and sediment crumbling onto the rocks below.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Vigiano was assigned to NYPD Emergency Services Unit Truck 2 on 9/11 and was one of the first to rush into the crumbling World Trade Center complex.

— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of crumbling

Verb

For some business owners, the impact extends beyond declining sales.

— Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan surpassed a record 100,000 this year, the latest government figures show, underscoring the country's rapidly aging and declining population.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of declining

Browse Nearby Words

retrogrades

retrograding

retrogress

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“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of retrograding

verb

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