retrograde
Other forms: retrograded; retrograding; retrogrades
Retrograde describes moving in a backwards or reverse direction. If you're suddenly told that you can no longer vote because you're a woman, that's a retrograde affront to your civil rights. Start protesting!
This word comes from the Latin retrogradus, meaning "going backward." You might hear retrograde used in astronomy to describe the movements of the planets. If a planet like Mercury is in retrograde, that means it appears to be moving backwards. Retrograde can also describe something that's going from better to worse. The farm's retrograde practice of spraying their crops with harsher and harsher pesticides is causing our health to suffer.
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moving or directed or tending in a backward direction or contrary to a previous direction
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moving from east to west on the celestial sphere; or--for planets--around the sun in a direction opposite to that of the Earth
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Antonyms:
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direct
moving from west to east on the celestial sphere; or--for planets--around the sun in the same direction as the Earth
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direct
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going from better to worse
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synonyms:
retrogressive
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regressive
opposing progress; returning to a former less advanced state
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regressive
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of amnesia; affecting time immediately preceding trauma
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Antonyms:
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anterograde
of amnesia; affecting time immediately following trauma
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anterograde
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move back
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move in a direction contrary to the usual one
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move backward in an orbit, of celestial bodies
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get worse or fall back to a previous condition
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go back over
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Vocabulary lists containing retrograde
In this nonfiction book, Gail Jarrow chronicles the life of James Garfield, detailing Garfield's early life, his rise to become the 20th president of the United States, and the events and aftermath of his assassination.
Science journalist Charles Seife discusses the history of the number zero, from its origin as an Eastern philosophical concept to its rise as an important tool in mathematics to its current threat to modern physics.
Avery Grambs learns that Tobias Hawthorne, a deceased billionaire she never met, left most of his fortune to her. But in order to receive the inheritance, she has to live in Hawthorne's mansion for one year and contend with his angry family members who are out to get her.
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