retroactive

[ re-troh-ak-tiv ]

/ ˌrɛ troʊˈæk tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR retroactive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

operative with respect to past occurrences, as a statute; retrospective: a retroactive law.

pertaining to a pay raise effective as of a past date.

Nearby words

retro, retro-, retro-operative, retroact, retroaction, retroactive, retroactive inhibition, retrobulbar, retrobulbar anesthesia, retrobulbar neuritis, retrocalcaneobursitis

Origin of retroactive

First recorded in 1605–15; retro- + active

Related forms

ret·ro·ac·tive·ly, adverbret·ro·ac·tiv·i·ty, nounnon·ret·ro·ac·tive, adjectivenon·ret·ro·ac·tive·ly, adverb

non·ret·ro·ac·tiv·i·ty, nounun·ret·ro·ac·tive, adjectiveun·ret·ro·ac·tive·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for retroactive

For a pair such as Viola and Perov, who have co-created work for decades, there is also precedent for retroactive co-authorship.
Why the Art World Ignores Wives|Jessica Dawson|March 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lavalle and his three pals allegedly pocketed a cut of the retroactive lump sum ofas much as $100,000 that each claimant received.
The 9/11 Scam: New York’s Disability Disgrace|Michael Daly|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What this may do is reduce the retroactive awards that folks get when they finally manage to get their disability claim approved.
Obama's Budget: Has He Gone Too Far, or Not Far Enough?|Megan McArdle|April 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The corroboration that apparently led him to put faith in Ben-Menashe's testimony was retroactive.
Reagan's "October Surprise" is Still Getting Debunked|Noah Kristula-Green|April 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Despite his red-hot debate showings—and a retroactive win in Iowa—Senator Sweatervest was basically a nonfactor in Florida.
Florida Primary: Rick Santorum’s Daughter’s Illness|Michelle Cottle|February 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, the retroactive effects of true charity are most beneficial.
The Moral Instruction of Children|Felix Adler
This heroine is very nobly and vividly imaged, and we feel the poet to be full of a retroactive as well as a present patriotism.
Views and Reviews|Henry James
A retroactive act of that State had declared them slaves again, and they had fled to Philadelphia where they were arrested.
Fugitive Slaves|Marion Gleason McDougall
But a person who cannot take this oath, retroactive though it be, must have been a traitor.
Charles Sumner; His Complete Works, Volume X (of 20)|Charles Sumner
That order could have no retroactive effect, to make his orders to have been valid in the past.
The American Indian as Participant in the Civil War|Annie Heloise Abel

British Dictionary definitions for retroactive

retroactive

/ (ˌrɛtrəʊˈæktɪv) /

adjective

applying or referring to the pastretroactive legislation

effective or operative from a date or for a period in the past

Derived Forms

retroactively, adverbretroactiveness or retroactivity, 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

retroactive

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of retroactive

Related forms

Examples from the Web for retroactive

British Dictionary definitions for retroactive

retroactive

adjective

Derived Forms