| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷|gresiv, -sēv also -sə̇v adjective
Etymology: Latin retrogress us (past participle) + English -ive
: characterized by or tending to retrogression : retrograde: as
a. : going or directed backward
the senses represent to us the course of the planets as now progressive, now retrogressive — L.W.Beck
b. : declining from a better to a worse state
c. : passing from a higher to a lower organization
retrogressive metamorphosis
• ret·ro·gres·sive·ly -sə̇vlē, -li adverb