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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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 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
  1. deteriorating
  2. descending
  3. worsening
  4. crumbling
  5. declining
Verb
  • The referendum would authorize Miami to issue $450 million in general obligation bonds to repair or replace deteriorating police and fire-rescue facilities, including construction of a new public safety building near Miami Freedom Park.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Declining industrial demand can make the electricity balance sheet look healthier, when the reality is that the economy is deteriorating under the pressure of relentless attacks.
    — Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • Video recorded from the stands shows the service member descending on a rope from the rafters at the Alamodome before falling to the field.
    — Shayna Jacobs, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The spacecraft will attempt two collection landings, with its exploration and return modules descending and returning to orbit as one vehicle.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of descending
Verb
  • Rising utility costs are worsening the affordability crunch facing millions of American families, who are facing sharply higher gasoline and diesel prices amid higher oil costs due to the war in Iran.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Residents are worried about how data centers will affect power and water supplies, as well as worsening noise pollution.
    — Jay Ganglani, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • Nearly a third of its education budget is eaten up by pensions, so its poorer schools are crumbling.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In Frankfurt, a gray city crumbling at the corners and still finding its footing after the war, though somehow doing its best to pretend all is well, Mann and Erika are greeted by the mayor and hustled off to a press conference.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • Chinese firms have been suffering from declining profit growth amid intense competition that has eroded margins and even invited the government to step in.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While program closures at colleges and universities often result from declining enrollment or a financial crisis, our decisions at Valencia are driven by neither.
    — Kathleen Plinske, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of declining

Browse Nearby Words

retrogrades
retrograding
retrogress
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Cite this Entry

“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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