RETROGRADING Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

retrograding

verb

present participle of retrograde

as in deteriorating

to become worse or of less value the Dark Ages, the period following the fall of the Roman Empire when Western civilization seriously retrograded

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 retrograding Among these were melodic concepts like inversion (flipping a tune), transposition (shifting it up or down scales), retrograding (reversal), and translation (movement over time). — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Feb. 2026 Mercury retrograding back into Scorpio wants to get to the bottom of your contracts. — Usa Today, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025 And then comes the 11/11 portal, where Jupiter begins retrograding in Cancer, your sector of home, family, and emotional roots. — Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 9 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrograding

Verb

Venezuela's industry has suffered from decades of underinvestment, deteriorating infrastructure and the loss of technical expertise.

— Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The woods surrounding the cottage also needed work to remove trash, deteriorating hunting structures and invasive species, the letter said.

— John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of deteriorating

Verb

Notably, the study did not find that climate change is worsening the other half of the El Niño Southern Oscillation System — La Niña.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
For critics, the carts are running amok, parking illegally, worsening congestion and unlocking another level of overtourism.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of worsening

Verb

On a nearby section of the coast, crews have been placing rock to shore up a crumbling coastline and keep nearby trains running.

— Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
When a team is crumbling, a rare sturdy presence becomes much more than an afterthought.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of crumbling

Verb

The Republican party has promised a return to the good ol’ days, with strong nuclear families at the crux and a fight against the declining birth rate.

— Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Additionally, the drug supply is always changing, with the potency of fentanyl declining in recent years.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of declining

Browse Nearby Words

retrogrades

retrograding

retrogress

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Retrograding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrograding. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of retrograding

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inexorable

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