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Retroactive for Dummies

adjective

pronunciation: ,rɛtroʊ'æktɪv

What does Retroactive really mean?

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Retroactive is a word that may sound a bit complicated at first, but I assure you it's not as difficult as it may seem. So, let's break it down! When we say a decision or an action is retroactive, it means that it affects things that have already happened in the past. It's like going back in time and changing something that has already occurred. Pretty cool, right?

Let me give you an example to help you understand it better. Imagine you have a favorite TV show, and one day you found out that a new season of it was released. But then, you discovered that the new season is so amazing that you want to re-watch all the previous seasons as well. Now, let's say the TV network that produces the show decides to air all the previous seasons again, starting from the very beginning, to allow people to catch up and enjoy the story from the start. That would be a retroactive decision because it is affecting something that happened in the past, making those previous seasons available to be watched again.

Another way to understand retroactive is to think of it like correcting a mistake. Have you ever made a mistake in your homework and realized it after your teacher had already graded it? Now, let's say your teacher decides to give you a second chance and regrade everyone's homework, knowing that some people made errors. That would be a retroactive action because it affects something that happened in the past (the previous grading).

Now you might ask, "Why is it even important to understand this word?" Well, knowing the meaning of "retroactive" can be helpful in various situations. Sometimes laws or rules change, and when they do, they can apply to things that happened before the change. For example, let's pretend you have a law in a game called "Detective Adventure" that says players can only use certain items. However, the game developers realize that this is not fair, so they change the rule and decide to allow all items to be used. This change is retroactive because it applies to all the previous games that were played before the rule change. Understanding the concept of retroactive can help you understand how changing rules might affect things that have already happened.

To sum it up, retroactive means going back in time and having an effect on things that have already occurred. It's like undoing or changing something from the past. Just remember, it's not as complicated as it sounds!


Revised and Fact checked by Steven Jackson on 2023-10-29 17:04:32

Retroactive In a sentece

Learn how to use Retroactive inside a sentece

  • If you forget to do your homework and then remember to do it later, your teacher might let you turn it in retroactively.
  • If you remember to bring your library book to school the next day, the librarian might let you renew it retroactively.
  • If you forget to pay a bill and then realize it later, you may be able to pay it retroactively.
  • If you accidentally skip a chapter while reading a book and then go back to read it later, you can understand the story better retroactively.
  • If you forget to sign a permission slip and then remember to do it later, you might still be allowed to go on the field trip retroactively.

Retroactive Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Retroactive Antonyms

Words that have the opposite context of the original word.

Retroactive Similar Words

Words that similar to the original word, but are not synonyms.

Retroactive Category

The domain category to which the original word belongs.