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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The Boyd window has undergone conservation in the past, including restoration work in the 1990s to address deteriorating elements.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
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The film resurfaced after a collection of deteriorating nitrate reels was submitted to the Library of Congress by a Michigan man who inherited them from his great-grandfather.—
Ryan Brennan,
Sacbee.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After separation, the weapon follows a steep ballistic trajectory, descending at high velocity toward its target.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Apr. 2026
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That, of course, can’t last forever, and soon enough, the entire family is descending on Malcolm’s life, turning it upside down.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Oil revenue is the linchpin of Russia’s economy, allowing Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.—
Karel Janicek,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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The West Texas project recently received the largest air pollution permit ever granted in the US, while Musk’s Memphis project has faced multiple lawsuits arguing the gas turbines are worsening air quality in historically Black communities.—
Mark Chediak,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Proponents of the extensions say the country remains wracked by gang violence and crumbling medical infrastructure.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2026
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The money is expected to now be invested in the island’s crumbling power grid, which was razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 but was already deteriorated given a lack of investment and maintenance.—
Dánica Coto,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Nuggets refused to engage, declining to respond on the off day.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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Variety is tracking which programs could land on the Emmy ballots, and has once again found a declining pool of eligible series.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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