Meaning & use
retroactively
In a way that applies to or affects things that happened in the past.
See it in a sentence
The pay raise was applied retroactively, so employees received back pay for three months.
Lawmakers debated whether the new tax rule should apply retroactively to last year's income.
A note on using this word
Retroactively is most common in legal, financial, and administrative writing, describing rules or changes that reach back to cover past events.
Words with a similar meaning
This term is best learned through its definition and examples.
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “retroactively”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.