Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RETROGRESS

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connect today's word to others: The Latin roots inside our word retrogress literally mean "going or stepping backward." Most of us are familiar with the "retro" part, meaning "backward," like in retrospect and retrovirus. And the "gress" part means "to go or to step," which explains the resemblance to other words involving steps and movement, like grade, centigrade, and ingredient (literally "something that goes in"), as well as digress, progress, and transgression. Anyway, retrogress is a handy word when you need to emphasize how people (or things) are moving backward: backward to a bad earlier behavior or backward to a worse earlier condition. But what if you need to describe the bad thing itself that's making the unwelcome comeback? Call it recr____ent: returning after being absent for a while, or literally "becoming raw again." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "RETROGRESS" When people or things retrogress, they go back to a bad behavior or bad situation from before, as if they are stepping backwards. Pronunciation: REH tro gress Part of speech: Verb, the intransitive kind. (Like "sleep," "skydive," and "succeed," intransitive verbs show complete action on their own and do not do action to an object. You sleep, you skydive, you succeed, and that’s it. You don’t "sleep a bed," "skydive a plane," or "succeed a plan." Likewise, something or someone retrogresses.) Other forms: retrogresses, retrogressed, retrogressing; retrogression; retrogressive How it's different than "regress:" The meanings of "regress" and "retrogress" are pretty much the same, and they each have their own uses in specific fields like medicine, biology, or politics. "Retrogress" is rarer, so pick it when you need to be especially clear and emphatic. How to use it: Can you hear how this word is serious and heavy, how it calls attention to itself? It's probably best to use it for emphasis in serious contexts. Talk about people and things that retrogress, often from one situation, condition, or set of circumstances to another one. You might say that people, companies, governments, political parties, societies, genders and so on are retrogressing--possibly to earlier times, to previous problems, to worse standards of living, to a cruder philosophy or way of thinking, etc. examples: He doesn't read, he doesn't believe in science, he doesn't treat women as equals--his retrogressive views would be funny if they weren't so influential. "Unless [the teacher] is constantly accumulating new information her mind will not only become like a stagnant pool, but she will find out that what she possesses is gradually evaporating. There is no state of equilibrium here; she who does not progress retrogresses."    —Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora Archibald Smith, Froebel's Gifts, 1895 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "retrogress" without saying "slide backward" or "relapse." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone or something) is bent on retrogressing to the days of _____." Example: "He's bent on retrogressing to the days of witch trials." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Apt Adjective Anagrams!  I'll invent a person's name and a brief description of that person, and you unscramble the letters in the name to form an adjective that aptly describes the person or the person's situation. For example, if I say "Naomi Cirous is still holding a grudge," then you rearrange the letters in "Naomi Cirous" to form the adjective "acrimonious," meaning "sharp, bitter, and mean"--an appropriate adjective for someone holding a grudge. From the previous issue: Tilda Paddie's house is a hundred years old and in desperate need of repairs. Answer: Her house is dilapidated. Try this today: You never know what Catie Ming is thinking; her facial expressions are unreadable; her comments, mysterious. review today's word: 1. The opposite of RETROGRESSIVE is A. PROGRESSIVE. B. CONGREGANT. C. INGRATIATING. 2. Their regressive measures will only _____. A. line their own pockets B. make it harder for poor citizens to vote C. pander to their youngest, most idealistic supporters Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B