rétrograde
French, adjective
rétrograde is spelled R-É-T-R-O-G-R-A-D-E (10 letters) and appears 1.6 times per million words in written French, the 23,795th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Rétrograde is a French adjective meaning “retrograde” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of rétrograder. With an accent, rétrogradé is a different word: “past participle of rétrograder”. The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Qui va, qui se fait en arrière”.
What does rétrograde mean in English?
adjective
- 1
retrograde
amnésie rétrograde
- 2
derogatoryretrograde, backwards
des idées rétrogrades
verb
- 1
first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- 2
second-person singular imperative
verb
- 1
past participle of rétrograder
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. Qui va, qui se fait en arrière. 2. Qualifie les corps célestes, lorsqu’ils paraissent aller en sens inverse des signes du zodiaque. 3. Qualifie des hommes, partis, ou pouvoirs qui cherchent à revenir en arrière, à rétablir des institutions que l’on considère comme surannées.
noun: 1. Personne qui cherche à revenir en arrière, à rétablir des institutions que l’on considère comme surannées. 2. Se dit de la forme lue de droite à gauche d'un motif mélodique.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of rétrograde
- rétrogrades plural
- rétrogradée feminine
- rétrogradés masculine plural
- rétrogradées feminine plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to rétrograde
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is rétrograde in French?
rétrograde appears 1.6 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).