retroactive

[ re-troh-ak-tiv ]

adjective

1. operative with respect to past occurrences, as a statute; retrospective:

   a retroactive law.

2. pertaining to a pay raise effective as of a past date.

retroactive

/ ˌrɛtrəʊˈæktɪv /

adjective

1. applying or referring to the past

   retroactive legislation

2. effective or operative from a date or for a period in the past

Derived Forms

• ˌretroˈactiveness, noun
• ˌretroˈactively, adverb

Other Words From

• ret·ro·ac·tive·ly adverb
• ret·ro·ac·tiv·i·ty noun
• non·ret·ro·ac·tive adjective
• non·ret·ro·ac·tiv·i·ty noun
• un·ret·ro·ac·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of retroactive¹

First recorded in 1605–15; retro- + active

Example Sentences

While this waiver will not apply to retroactive cases like April’s, it is troubling, as the domestic violence epidemic in the U.S. is still raging, and there will likely be more women like April for years to come, given that a variety of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to a troubling resurgence of domestic violence in recent years.

From Slate

While the Razzies' retroactive apology may have been laudable, it comes with the unfortunate implication that Duvall gave a bad performance because of Kubrick's abuse . . . when, in fact, her performance was key to the movie's success in addressing issues of sex inequality.

From Salon

The basis for this belief remains something of a mystery, a combination of retroactive contempt for Hillary Clinton’s comparatively wonky 2016 campaign; regret about seeing leading 2020 contenders, including Harris, race too far to the left during the early primary debates in 2019; and a sense that the excesses of the summer of 2020 kept Biden from winning in a blowout.

From Slate

In the meantime, the city approved an Edison retroactive permit request to install a temporary power pole at the Ladera Linda community park to provide electricity to Seaview.

From Los Angeles Times

Regardless of what happens with Proposition 22, Nguyen noted, the federal decision is relevant because the measure was not retroactive, and there are pending state claims against Uber and Postmates for violating AB5 prior to 2020 — including by misclassifying drivers.

From Los Angeles Times