retroactive

See also: rétroactive

English

WOTD – 17 July 2008

Etymology

First attested in 1610. From French rétroactif, equivalent to retro- +‎ active.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌɹɛt.ɹəʊˈæk.tɪv/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɹɛ.tɹoʊˈæk.tɪv/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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Adjective

retroactive (not comparable)

1. Extending in scope, effect, application or influence to a prior time or to prior conditions
   • 2005, Jeff Hull, Pale Morning Done: A Novel, page 214:

     Rather, he hoped there was some legal trickeration he could deploy to get a retroactive water right filed and end-run the opposition.

   • 2007 April 15, Liesl Schillinger, “The Night Train to Bucharest”, in The New York Times‎, archived from the original on 16 June 2022:

     Can such a child be ennobled by the passage of time, his struggles granted retroactive gravitas and his childish confusions rearticulated with adult clarity?

   • 2016, Abbie E. Goldberg, The SAGE Encyclopedia of LGBTQ Studies, page 232:

     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) […]

Derived terms

• nonretroactive
• retcon
• retroactively
• retroactiveness
• retroactive rape
• retroactivity

Related terms

• retroaction

Translations

extending in scope, effect, application or influence to a prior time or to prior conditions

Armenian: հետադարձ (hy) (hetadarj) Belarusian: рэтраакты́ўны (retraaktýwny) Catalan: retroactiu (ca) Czech: retroaktivní (cs), zpětný (cs) Danish: tilbagevirkende, retroaktiv Dutch: terugwerkend (nl) Finnish: takautuva, taannehtiva (fi), retroaktiivinen French: rétroactif (fr) Georgian: რეტროაქტიული (reṭroakṭiuli), უკუქმედებითი (uḳukmedebiti) German: rückwirkend (de) Greek: αναδρομικός (el) (anadromikós) Ido: retroagiva (io) Irish: aisghníomhach Italian: retroattivo (it) Polish: retroaktywny (pl) Portuguese: retroativo (pt) Russian: ретроакти́вный (ru) (retroaktívnyj) Spanish: retroactivo Swedish: retroaktiv (sv) Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

See also

• ex post facto
• retrospective