intr.v., -gressed, -gress·ing, -gress·es.
- To return to an earlier, inferior, or less complex condition.
- To go or move backward.
[Latin retrōgradī, *retrōgress- : retrō-, retro- + gradī, to go.]
retrogressive ret'ro·gres'sive adj.retrogressively re'tro·gres'sive·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
