regressive

[ ri-gres-iv ]

/ rɪˈgrɛs ɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR regressive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

regressing or tending to regress; retrogressive.

Biology. of, relating to, or effecting regression.

(of tax) decreasing proportionately with an increase in the tax base.

Logic. obtained from or characterized by backward reasoning.

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Nearby words

Origin of regressive

First recorded in 1625–35; regress + -ive

Related forms

re·gres·sive·ly, adverbre·gres·sive·ness, re·gres·siv·i·ty

[ree-gre-siv-i-tee] /ˌri grɛˈsɪv ɪ ti/, nounnon·re·gres·sive, adjectivenon·re·gres·sive·ly, adverb

un·re·gres·sive, adjectiveun·re·gres·sive·ly, adverbun·re·gres·sive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for regressive

A wave of critics, though, has been denouncing it as anti-democratic and regressive.
God Save the United States From This Anti-Democratic Court|Jedediah Purdy|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The media, much of it in the hands of regressive establishment figures, eagerly cheered them on.
Egypt: Al Jazeera Had ‘Marriott Cell’ Of Terror|Alastair Beach|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finally, while sales taxes are regressive, you can make a pretty good case that taxes on e-commerce are progressive.
Three Cheers for the Internet Tax!|Daniel Gross|April 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Today, California may worship at the altar of science, but increasingly in the most regressive, hysterical, and reactionary way.
The Golden State Is Crumbling|Joel Kotkin|September 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Obama's defense of federalism in this instance is not a regressive throwback; it is a pragmatic strategy.
Why Obama Must Endorse Gay Marriage|Kerry Eleveld|July 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The conflict, however, played itself off in his dreams, offering a solution of a regressive type.
Psychoanalysis|Andr Tridon
Activity is, therefore, not contradictory to the organism, but favors in it the natural progressive and regressive metamorphosis.
Pedagogics as a System|Karl Rosenkranz
The two limits are then called the “progressive” and “regressive” differential coefficients.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 5|Various
Formal decay begins when a language becomes historical, and it often gives rise to remarkable cases of regressive metamorphosis.
Basque Legends|Wentworth Webster
He had conquered his regressive tendencies and his speech was improving.
Psychoanalysis|Andr Tridon

British Dictionary definitions for regressive

regressive

/ (rɪˈɡrɛsɪv) /

adjective

regressing or tending to regress

(of a tax or tax system) levied or graduated so that the rate decreases as the amount taxed increasesSee progressive (def. 5)

of, relating to, or characteristic of regression

Derived Formsregressively, adverbregressiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for regressive

regressive

adj.

1630s; see regress + -ive. In reference to taxation, it is attested from 1889. Related: Regressively.

Medicine definitions for regressive

regressive

[ rĭ-grĕs′ĭv ]

adj.

Having a tendency to return or to revert.

Characterized by regression.

Related formsre•gres′sive•ness n.