regressive

[ri-gres-iv]

adjective

1. regressing or tending to regress; retrogressive.

2. Biology.,  of, relating to, or effecting regression.

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

4. Logic.,  obtained from or characterized by backward reasoning.

Other Word Forms

• regressively adverb
• regressiveness noun
• regressivity noun
• nonregressive adjective
• nonregressively adverb
• unregressive adjective
• unregressively adverb
• unregressiveness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of regressive¹

First recorded in 1625–35; regress + -ive

Example Sentences

A clear example of this regressive vision is the administration’s push to rewrite the 14th Amendment in their efforts to eliminate birthright citizenship and undermine equal protection under the law.

From Salon

Comics have long been on the front lines of democracy, the canary in the cat’s mouth, Looney Tunes style, when it comes to free speech being swallowed by regressive politics.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, popular and scholarly treatments of white Southerners as overwhelmingly conservative and racially regressive abound.

From Salon

In the short term, the Budget Lab notes, tariffs are regressive — they strike disproportionately at lower-income people.

From Los Angeles Times

While framed as a “baby bonus” to build wealth, the program’s structure is deeply flawed and regressive.

From Salon

Related Words

• archconservative 
• counterrevolutionary 
• rightist 
• ultraconservative