1. moving backward or returning to a worse or less developed condition

Examples

• The new policies were seen as retrogressive steps that would harm workers’ rights.
• Critics argued that the education reforms were retrogressive rather than innovative.
• The country’s retrogressive approach to environmental protection alarmed scientists.
• Many viewed the law as a retrogressive move that would set back civil rights.
• The company’s retrogressive management style drove away talented employees.
• Historians described the period as marked by retrogressive social attitudes.