Retroactive Meaning
/ˌɹɛt.ɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjExtending in scope, effect, application or influence to a prior time or to prior conditions
Sentence Examples
Retroactive jealousy is more toxic than reactive jealousy.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The pay raise was ____, so employees got extra money for past months.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The pay increase was made ____, meaning all employees received back pay dating to the start of the year.
Word Origin & History
First attested in 1610. From French rétroactif, equivalent to retro- + active.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Rather, he hoped there was some legal trickeration he could deploy to get a retroactive water right filed and end-run the opposition."
— 2005, Jeff Hull, Pale Morning Done: A Novel, page 214:
"Can such a child be ennobled by the passage of time, his struggles granted retroactive gravitas and his childish confusions rearticulated with adult clarity?"
— 2007 April 15, Liesl Schillinger, “The Night Train to Bucharest”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Jun 2022:
"Such assumptions can motivate expressions of cisgenderism such as retroactive misgendering (in which a person's past is described using language that disregards or contrasts with their current designation of their gender) […]"
— 2016, Abbie E. Goldberg, The SAGE Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies, page 232:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The pay raise was ____, so employees got extra money for past months.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The pay increase was made ____, meaning all employees received back pay dating to the start of the year.