regressing 1 of 2

adjective

as in retrogressing

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regressing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of regress
1
as in reverting
to go back to a previous and usually lower state or level in extreme circumstances, people sometimes regress to the behavior they exhibited in childhood

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value the annual celebration has regressed to the point where it's nothing more than an excuse to get drunk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of regressing
Verb
Quarterback coach Bush Hamdan bears some responsibility for the top quarterbacks under his watch regressing - first Quinn Ewers (who was jettisoned to Jacksonville) and now Willis. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026 On the other side, the Los Angeles Chargers (0-4) look like they’re headed to a lost season and quarterback Justin Herbert is regressing. — Jeff Howe, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 The cumulative effect of regressing academically every summer means kids are starting off every school year in a deficit, as previously mentioned. — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 7 July 2026 But as Saturday’s play showed, things have a way of evening out, regressing to the mean. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 27 June 2026 While the Colombia of 2026 is nowhere near as deadly as the Colombia of the 1990s, when the FARC was ruling over swaths of the country, the South American nation is nevertheless regressing in terms of security. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026 This shifts hair follicles from regressing into active growth. — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 28 May 2026 And when Varley returns to Portia after a stint with the manipulative and tempestuous Lady Penwood (Katie Leung), that’s not Bridgerton simply regressing to a status quo. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026 Teachers at Sophia’s school told her parents that her reading skills were regressing, prompting them to order her glasses and schedule what seemed like routine tests. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regressing
  1. stopped
  2. reverting
  3. deteriorating
  4. returning
  5. worsening
  6. crumbling
  7. declining
  8. descending
Adjective
  • The girl with a backpack on could be seen crossing the street while looking at her phone before the stopped truck began moving beside her, in videos obtained by ABC station WPVI and CBS station KYW.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The crash drew a crowd from the stopped traffic, who quickly spread photos and videos of the driver on social media.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stopped
Verb
  • The notorious property has since undergone a name change, reverting back to its original moniker of Sycamore Valley Ranch.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The exact process for reverting adult cells back to an early embryonic stage, however, wasn’t clear.
    — Venki Ramakrishnan, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of reverting
Verb
  • Authorities warned against hiking this route this time of year due to deteriorating conditions and the onset of winter weather.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Malaysia on Friday ordered hundreds of schools closed in several states because of deteriorating air quality.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • That strike prevented the landing of an Iranian flight carrying a Houthi delegation returning from the funeral of Iran’s supreme leader, who had been killed in the opening strikes of the war in February.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • On the positive side, freshman Bryson Hayes showed great speed in hitting the right sideline and returning Kansas State’s first kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 7-7.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of returning
Verb
  • The victim went to the campus health clinic in August with worsening finger tingling and numbness, and leg weakness.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Stocks dropped to their worst day since July on Wednesday after the latest signal that inflation is worsening.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of worsening
Verb
  • The energy crisis coupled with crumbling infrastructure have sent prices of basic goods skyrocketing.
    — Matt Gutman, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The drawing, which depicts a crumbling stone arcade spanning a body of water, is being sold by Oxford, UK, auction house Mallams, where it is expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000 ($53,000 to $79,000).
    — News Desk, Artforum, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of crumbling
Verb
  • Women naturally store less creatine than men, and during perimenopause and menopause, declining estrogen can take a toll on both muscle health and mental clarity.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The result has been sturdy economic growth, even as lower-income and even middle-income households have continued to struggle under stubborn inflation and declining earnings.
    — Rob Wile, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • The winds develop when air moves from the Great Basin west toward the California coast, descending mountain slopes and becoming warmer and drier.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The drive winds through the verdant mountains of eastern Antioquia before descending into the Aburrá Valley, where Medellín stretches across the valley floor and surrounding hillsides.
    — Nikkita Nair, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of descending

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Cite this Entry

“Regressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regressing. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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