retrogression
noun
Forms retrogressions
- noun A deterioration or decline to a previous state.
- noun (biology) A return to a less complex condition.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
Cf. F. rétrogression. See Retrograde, and cf. Digression.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of retrograding, or going backward; retrogradation.
- noun Backward development; a passing from a higher to a lower state of organization or structure, as when an animal, approaching maturity, becomes less highly organized than would be expected from its earlier stages or known relationship. Called also retrograde development, and regressive metamorphism.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “retrogression”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details