Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The city’s common-law heritage—which nominally rejected retroactivity in criminal law—was junked.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

Seven years later, the North Carolina Supreme Court “declared the repeal’s retroactivity provision unconstitutional” and allowed people like Bacote to continue litigating RJA claims.

From Slate • Feb. 13, 2025

“Most people would tell you there is a real retroactivity problem there,” said Elizabeth Sepper, a professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin.

From Washington Post • Jul. 18, 2022

Greg Totten, the association’s chief executive, raised concerns with the bill’s retroactivity, and said it would strip from judges and prosecutors the flexibility to apply or remove a strike.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2022

Legislators, in a deal with the Washington Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, agreed to nix retroactivity, leaving 64 people with a second-degree robbery strike in prison.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 3, 2021