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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Israel withdrew its diplomats amid security concerns and deteriorating relations with Turkey, following the war in Gaza.—
Suzan Fraser,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
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Israel withdrew its diplomats amid security concerns and deteriorating relations with Turkey during the war in Gaza.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Video from the rescue shows the helicopter descending near the Seneca River and then hovering over the water, where the dog is struggling to keep its head above the surface.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
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But then, suddenly, a silhouette appears, quickly descending those stairs.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The broader economic mood has trended lower since early 2025, and consumer sentiment fell in April to its lowest reading on record in the University of Michigan’s long-running survey, with many consumers blaming the Iran conflict for worsening economic conditions.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
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Interest rate cuts also risk worsening inflation.—
Damian J. Troise,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The foundation of the house was crumbling, so Michigan Humane called the Detroit Fire Department for assistance.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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However, that all came crumbling down in March 2023 when Madix discovered that her partner of nearly a decade was having a months-long affair with her close friend and costar, Leviss.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Antarctic sea ice is declining at record rates, according to climate scientists.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
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The new listings, published Wednesday by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, cite factors such as warming ocean waters, melting sea ice and declining availability of food to sustain such species.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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