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
  • In Tampa Bay’s 43-13 demolition of the Carolina Panthers, Young reverted to the form of his first two years with an offensive line that reverted, too.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Rollback plans should account for data changes and financial transactions; reverting application code alone may not reverse a financial consequence.
    — Manny Khan, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In the city of Hurricane in far southwestern Utah, a shipping container drifting down a street gave way Friday to a mess of mud and debris to be cleaned up as people who had evacuated earlier in the week returned home.
    — MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Juries returned a verdict of death for Paige Lawyer, Christopher Turner and Jason Thornburg.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Retrogress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrogress. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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