retroactive

[ re-troh-ak-tiv ]
See synonyms for retroactive on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of retroactive

1
First recorded in 1605–15; retro- + active

Other words from retroactive

  • 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for retroactive

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 of retroactive

  • retroactively, adverb
  • retroactiveness or retroactivity, noun

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