retrogress

American  

[re-truh-gres, re-truh-gres] / ˌrɛ trəˈgrɛs, ˈrɛ trəˌgrɛs /

verb (used without object)

1. to go backward into an earlier and usually worse condition.

   to retrogress to infantilism.

   Synonyms:

   revert, retreat, withdraw, retrograde, degenerate, decline

2. to move backward.

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retrogress British  

/ ˌrɛtrəʊˈɡrɛs /

verb

1. to go back to an earlier, esp worse, condition; degenerate or deteriorate

2. to move backwards; recede

3. biology to develop characteristics or features of lower or simpler organisms; degenerate

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Other Word Forms

• retrogression noun
• retrogressive adjective
• retrogressively adverb

Etymology

Origin of retrogress

First recorded in 1810–20; from Latin retrōgressus, past participle of retrōgradī “to go back or backward,” equivalent to retrō- “back, backward, behind” + gred-, combining form of gradī “to step, go” + -tus past participle suffix, with dt becoming ss; retro-

Example Sentences

And for those in need of retrogressing even further, a host of family entertainments spring up every summer in the West End, cartoon-colored affairs that speak the jolly and exaggerated language of Christmas pantomimes.

From New York Times

“With the freedoms we have created, Liberia cannot retrogress,” she says.

From Washington Post

“Please don’t let it be that we are retrogressing to that horrible time in the ’70s,” Ms. Laurie said in an interview on Sunday.

From New York Times

Shusterman loved the law, loved its clarity and contradictions, believing it embodied “the dynamics of living, the progress or retrogressing that we’re involved in.”

From Washington Times

Not only does he not improve, but he inevitably retrogresses.

From Project Gutenberg