retroactive

American  

[re-troh-ak-tiv] / ˌrɛ troʊˈæk tɪv /

adjective

1. operative with respect to past occurrences, as a statute; retrospective.

   a retroactive law.

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

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retroactive British  

/ ˌrɛtrəʊˈæktɪv /

adjective

1. applying or referring to the past

   retroactive legislation

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

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Other Word Forms

• nonretroactivity
  noun
• retroactiveness
  noun
• retroactivity
  noun
• nonretroactive
  adjective
• unretroactive
  adjective
• retroactively
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of retroactive

First recorded in 1605–15; retro- + active

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Explanation

The adjective retroactive refers to something happening now that affects the past. For example, a retroactive tax is one that is passed at one time, but payable back to a time before the tax was passed. The Latin word retroagere, an ancestor of the adjective retroactive, means "drive or turn back," and goes along with the meaning of the word. Sometimes governments pass rulings that are set as if they were in effect before the ruling was even made, and that means they are retroactive. On the bright side, you might be awarded a salary raise that is retroactive, meaning you'll get paid more for work you did in the past. And, retroactive fads in clothing keep vintage clothing stores in business.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retroactive

And because smart capital always flees uncertainty, open-ended, retroactive liability would chill investment, deterring the gas plant and the battery factory alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

“Because we focus so much on the kind of retroactive or reactionary human caseload, we miss the opportunity to control the vector and to understand more about the vector,” LaDeau said.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

The proposed tax, which would be retroactive to billionaires who lived in the state as of Jan. 1, drew predictable opposition from the wealthy, notably Silicon Valley tech leaders.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026

The Tax Foundation, a nonprofit, however, notes that legal challenges to the Jan. 1, retroactive date of the tax could succeed.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

“That suit is so beautiful. It’s so retroactive. It’s so retroactive that it’s radioactive!”

From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

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