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 Formsretroactively, 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

Word Origin and History for retroactive

retroactive

adj.

1610s, from French rétroactif (16c.) "casting or relating back," from Latin retroact-, past participle stem of retroagere "drive or turn back," from retro- "back" (see retro-) + agere "to drive, set in motion" (see act (v.)). Related: Retroactively.

retroactive

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of retroactive

Examples from the Web for retroactive

British Dictionary definitions for retroactive

retroactive

adjective

Word Origin and History for retroactive

retroactive