retrograde

American  

[re-truh-greyd] / ˈrɛ trəˌgreɪd /

adjective

1. moving backward; having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating.

2. inverse or reversed, as order.

   Synonyms:

   backward

3. Chiefly Biology. exhibiting degeneration or deterioration.

4. Astronomy.

   1. moving in an orbit in the direction opposite to that of the earth in its revolution around the sun.

   2. appearing to move on the celestial sphere in the direction opposite to the natural order of the signs of the zodiac, or from east to west.

5. Music. proceeding from the last note to the first.

   a melody in retrograde motion.

6. Archaic. contrary; opposed.

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verb (used without object)

• retrogrades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• retrograded,
  past participle,  past
• retrograding
  present participle

1. to move or go backward; retire or retreat.

   Synonyms:

   retrocede, recede, withdraw

2. Chiefly Biology. to decline to a worse condition; degenerate.

3. Astronomy. to have a retrograde motion.

verb (used with object)

• retrogrades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• retrograded,
  past participle,  past
• retrograding
  present participle

1. Archaic. to turn back.

retrograde British  

/ ˈrɛtrəʊˌɡreɪd /

adjective

1. moving or bending backwards

2. (esp of order) reverse or inverse

3. tending towards an earlier worse condition; declining or deteriorating

4. astronomy

   1. occurring or orbiting in a direction opposite to that of the earth's motion around the sun Compare direct

   2. occurring or orbiting in a direction around a planet opposite to the planet's rotational direction

      the retrograde motion of the satellite Phoebe around Saturn

   3. appearing to move in a clockwise direction due to the rotational period exceeding the period of revolution around the sun

      Venus has retrograde rotation

5. biology tending to retrogress; degenerate

6. music of, concerning, or denoting a melody or part that is played backwards

7. obsolete opposed, contrary, or repugnant to

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verb

1. to move in a retrograde direction; retrogress

2. military another word for retreat

retrograde Scientific  

/ rĕt′rə-grād′ /

1. Having a rotational or orbital movement that is opposite to the movement of most bodies within a celestial system. In the solar system, retrograde bodies are those that rotate or orbit in a clockwise direction (east to west) when viewed from a vantage point above the Earth's north pole. Venus, Uranus, and Pluto have retrograde rotational movements. No planets in the solar system have retrograde orbital movements, but four of Jupiter's moons exhibit such movement.

2. Having a brief, regularly occurring, apparently backward movement in the sky as viewed from Earth against the background of fixed stars. Retrograde movement of the planets is caused by the differing orbital velocities of Earth and the body observed. For example, the outer planets normally appear to drift gradually eastward in the sky in relation to the fixed stars; that is, they appear night after night to fall a little farther behind the neighboring stars in their westward passage across the sky. However, at certain times a particular planet appears briefly to speed up and move westward a bit more quickly than the neighboring stars. This happens as Earth, in its faster inner orbit, overtakes and passes the planet in its slower outer orbit; the appearance of moving counter to its usual eastward drift is thus simply the result of perspective as seen from Earth.

3. Compare prograde

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retrogradation
  noun
• unretrograded
  adjective
• unretrograding
  adjective
• retrogradely
  adverb
• retrogradingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• retrograding
  present
• retrograded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• retrograde
  simple
• retrogrades
  simple
• have retrograded
  perfect
• has retrograded
  perfect
• am retrograding
  progressive
• are retrograding
  progressive
• is retrograding
  progressive
• have been retrograding
  perfect progressive
• has been retrograding
  perfect progressive

Past

• retrograded
  simple
• had retrograded
  perfect
• was retrograding
  progressive
• were retrograding
  progressive
• had been retrograding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will retrograde
  simple
• will have retrograded
  perfect
• will be retrograding
  progressive
• will have been retrograding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of retrograde

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (adjective), from Latin retrōgradus going back, derivative of retrōgradī, equivalent to retrō- retro- + gradī “to step, go”; see grade

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retrograde retrogrades retrograded retrograding

Until, that is, the play’s rather retrograde climax, when the playwright’s provocateur wildness goes limp.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

In the minds of some retrograde dweebs, representing these baddies with a woman who could play Barbie was sacrilege.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

The best, and most popular, of these was Norman Lear’s generation-gap sitcom “All in the Family,” starring Carroll O’Connor as retrograde bigot Archie Bunker, and Rob Reiner as his liberal son-in-law, Mike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026

Weronika had suffered a rare complication - unusual retrograde amnesia.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025

To account for the planets’ bizarre behavior, Ptolemy added epicycles to his planetary clockwork: little circles within circles could explain the backward, or retrograde, motion of the planets.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Sometimes it is said that the high retrogrades, or backs off to the west, allowing the storm track to come down the coast.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2021

Known in our dancers’ nomenclature as “The King and Queen,” it is built primarily on one basic theme with its inversions, reversals and retrogrades.

From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2015

All of the opera's other themes, accompaniments and leitmotifs are derived from endlessly ingenious extrapolations, inversions, retrogrades and other variations of the original row.

From Time Magazine Archive

Or he might be overthrown and replaced by retrogrades who would have at their disposal the military wherewithal to engage once again in old thinking and old behavior.

From Time Magazine Archive

In the first alternative he should retire, to make place for the retrogrades; in the second he wished to be sure that his views were not in opposition to those of "our best ally," England.

From Cavour by Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco

Fu ture productions which fail to measure up to its stiff standards of achievement may be considered to have retrograded.

From Time Magazine Archive

Some of the states during the last ten years have done nobly; others have evidently retrograded.

From Popular Education For the use of Parents and Teachers, and for Young Persons of Both Sexes by Ira Mayhew

But in the seventh and eighth centuries they again declined, and learning retrograded very much; literature was forgotten; the monks and friars boasted of their ignorance.

From History of Human Society by Frank W. (Frank Wilson) Blackmar

Of course there is no gain without a certain amount of loss, and while we have advanced in freedom we have retrograded in chivalry, deference, and courtesy.

From The Etiquette of Engagement and Marriage Describing Modern Manners and Customs of Courtship and Marriage, and giving Full Details regarding the Wedding Ceremony and Arrangements by G. R. M. Devereux

The countenance of the young girl’s companion retrograded from its new-found favor to a more inexorable cast.

From The Strollers by Harrison Fisher

“Similar retrograding blocks in the past have been associated with periods of colder and wintry weather in the Eastern U.S.,” meteorologist John Homenuk wrote on Twitter.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 29, 2022

The four boys were looking for possible routes of escape when Red’s brother decided that in arbitration lay his salvation from this swiftly retrograding dilemma.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Judging from appearances, however, it would seem that the town is not growing in population or business relations, but is rather retrograding.

From Equatorial America Descriptive of a Visit to St. Thomas, Martinique, Barbadoes, and the Principal Capitals of South America by Maturin Murray Ballou

Except Chili, all the Pacific states of South America were retrograding from a very imperfect civilization, under a succession of petty and aimless revolutions.

From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 1. No 1, June 1850 by Various

If community life is static, school and church stay in the ruts; if it is retrograding, they are losing ground; if it is progressive, they gradually show improvement.

From Society Its Origin and Development by Henry Kalloch Rowe