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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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
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
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Contingency plans are in place should the security situation deteriorate, which may necessitate reverting individual sailings or the wider structural change of the service back to the Cape of Good Hope route, Maersk said.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Feb. 2026
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In truth, Johnson’s lack of meaningful contribution to date may now prompt Palace to revert back to that way of operating in future.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was asked whether Austin Reaves, who had been on a restriction of about 25 minutes after returning from a 19-game absence because of a calf strain, would still be on a minutes restriction and whether Doncic would be available against the Clippers.—
Broderick Turner,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Jurors are expected to return Monday morning to continue considering the evidence.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrogress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrogress. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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