RETROACTIVE Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

retroactive

adjective

Definition of retroactive

as in retrospective

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 retroactive But that doesn’t necessarily mean the sides would not work out a retroactive grant if games were canceled. — Evan Drellich, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The works cited were made before the law’s creation, and this case represents one of its first retroactive applications. — News Desk, Artforum, 25 Aug. 2026 Proposition 42 would outlaw retroactive taxation, directly countering Proposition 40 and killing the wealth tax. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 Summary Thousands of student loan borrowers face massive backlogs in the PSLF Buyback program, designed to grant retroactive credit towards Public Service Loan Forgiveness so that borrowers can get their student loans forgiven. — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for retroactive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retroactive

Adjective

At the event, before Rothenberg triumphantly clarinet-riffed with recordings of sperm whales and humpbacks, Joe Valle, of Nonhuman Teachers, interviewed Nollman, with career-retrospective audiovisual enhancement.

— Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
In past decades, only one or two very new releases might have made the cut; canonization is usually a retrospective project of sifting through the past to see what art stands the test of time.

— Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of retrospective

Adjective

To create objects with collapsibility as a core feature, Toyonaga’s team devised an analytic design algorithm allowing incremental construction of complex scissored surfaces.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Aug. 2026
Rigaku brings its experience developing X-ray analytical systems and metrology technologies.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of analytic

Adjective

The now-familiar blend of folk, soul, and psychedelia dominates the album aesthetically, though James took spiritual cues from recordings of meditative organ performances by Alice Coltrane.

— Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
Hosted earlier this month, the sound bath was the first of two events in the museum’s new Mindfulness Mornings at the Museum series, where guests can experience a meditative practice in the iconic gallery before opening hours.

— Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of meditative

Adjective

Tycho Crater is visible in the lower region of the lunar disk close to the shadow, while bright ejecta rays of reflective material brighten the darker lunar seas, where lava solidified to form basaltic plains billions of years ago.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Exhilarating, sublime, and unsettling, these installations—which often incorporate polka-dot balloons, pumpkins, LED lights, and soundtracks—immerse the viewer in infinite reflective surfaces, exploding even small spaces into an endless expanse.

— Livia Caligor, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of reflective

Adjective

The Sisters embody a unique culture of prayer, silence, solitude and community, living in a contemplative and cloistered order.

— Kelly Wilkinson, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2026
After that feral beginning, the rest of the album is mostly contemplative, wistful, and understated, amid cascading guitars and various sounds that are at times acoustic or gently swirling.

— Steve Appleford, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of contemplative

Adjective

Kitchenware, pantry staples and cookbook publishers are the logical next category.

— Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026
The handle of the pattern is relatively shallow, so from a trading perspective, placing a stop-loss slightly below its lower boundary near 512 provides a logical way to manage risk.

— Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of logical

Adjective

But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.

— Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 19 June 2026
Their ruminative hush sets them apart in an era of instant-gratification drops.

— Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026

Definition of ruminative

Browse Nearby Words

retro

retroactive

retrofit

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Retroactive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retroactive. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of retroactive

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

matriculate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes