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DictionaryretrogradeBackward movement
adjective / verb / noun

retrograde

RET-roh-grayd/ˈretrəɡreɪd/

Moving backward relative to the usual direction.

The arrow shows the car's retrograde motion as it moves backward.

A car visibly traveling backward: its front points right while a clear motion arrow points left from its rear.
Etymology
retroLatinbackward
+gradeLatinto go, step

The pieces express “stepping backward.” First used of planets apparently moving against their usual direction, retrograde also describes a return to an earlier state, including a worse one.

In context

Rhesus Medicine1:15
retrograde blood supply, meaning blood flow from its distal end towards its proximal end.
Learn The Bones of the Hand & Wrist In 2 Minutes (With Fractures)

More examples

  • Mars appears to retrograde against the background stars.
  • Mercury is in retrograde for several weeks.
  • The scan reveals retrograde blood flow through the valve.
  • Critics call the return to censorship a retrograde step.

Forms

retrograde · retrogrades · retrograded · retrograding

Similar words

backward
More common for everyday movement toward the rear.
reverse
Emphasizes motion opposite to an established or forward direction.