1. not applying to or affecting things that happened before the law, rule, or decision was made
Usage: commonly used in legal and legislative contexts

Examples

• The new tax law is nonretroactive, so it only applies to income earned after January 1st.
• The company's updated safety policy is nonretroactive and will take effect for all new hires.
• The court ruled that the regulation would be nonretroactive to protect businesses from unexpected liability.
• Nonretroactive laws are generally considered fairer because they don't penalize people for actions that were legal when they occurred.
• The amendment was made nonretroactive to avoid disrupting existing contracts.