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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In 2017, Neverland Ranch was reverted back to its original name of Sycamore Valley Ranch, per Billboard.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
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Finally, for unknown reasons, hydrangeas of any color may suddenly bloom in green for a year or two before reverting back to their original color.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Houston has won two in a row in the series and gets to return home.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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The Artemis program aims to return American astronauts to the moon's surface for the first time since 1972.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrogress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrogress. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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