Definition of retrogressnext
as in to revert
to go back to a previous and usually lower state or level the quality of research at the university lab has begun to retrogress since the massive budget cuts went into effect

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Example Sentences

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 retrogress This annual limit, and the intense global demand has created significant back logs, particularly for applicants from India and China, whose EB-2 priority dates have continually retrogressed. Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 3 Jan. 2026 After the 1960s, after the switch in—the shift in the strategy to gaining political clout, a lot of those trends stalled, slowed, even retrogressed. WSJ, 3 July 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrogress
Verb
  • However, the cells recently reverted from the supergiant state do not have the potential to form supergiants compared to cells produced by normal morphs.
    Jay Kakade July 23, Refractor, 23 July 2026
  • Unlike farmland converted to housing, solar installations could more easily revert back to farming at the end of a project’s 30-year lifespan.
    Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • Two of the starters have since gotten hurt (Ranger Suarez with a groin injury and Connelly Early with elbow inflammation), but Suarez could return Tuesday, and the team has kept rolling.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Then the rains returned, and the home was destroyed again, worse than before.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Retrogress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrogress. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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