Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of retrograde

6 similar words · 6 opposite words

Another word for retrograde is backward. Other synonyms of retrograde are reactionary, traditionalist, retrogradely, mossback and mossyback. The opposite of retrograde is direct.

Synonyms and similar words for retrograde

adjectiveOf ideas or a person: opposing social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo...

adverbIn a reverse direction; backwards.

nounOne who opposes social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo; a conservative.

  • mossback US, informalSynonym of mossyback (“a person with old-fashioned views; hence, one who is very conservative or reactionary”).
  • mossybackA person with old-fashioned views; hence, one who is very conservative or reactionary; a mossback.

Opposite of retrograde

adjectiveOf ideas or a person: opposing social reform, favouring the maintenance of the status quo...

adjectiveOf a celestial body orbiting another: in the opposite direction to the orbited body's spin.

  • directIn the direction of the general planetary motion, or from west to east; in the order of the signs; not retrograde; said...
  • prograde

adjectiveMore antonyms

Meaning of retrograde

  1. adjective Directed or moving backwards in relation to the normal or previous direction of travel; retreating.
  2. adjective Reverting to an inferior or less developed state; declining, regressing.
  3. adjective Of an animal: appearing to regress to a less developed form during its lifetime.

Full definition of retrograde

retrograde in other languages

Questions about synonyms of retrograde

What is another word for retrograde?
Retrograde has 6 synonyms on Word.ws, such as backward, reactionary, traditionalist, retrogradely, mossback and mossyback.
What is the opposite of retrograde?
The opposite of retrograde is direct.
What does retrograde mean?
Retrograde means directed or moving backwards in relation to the normal or previous direction of travel; retreating.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: retrograde (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of retrograde.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/retrograde. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.