A retrograde action is one that you think makes a situation worse rather than better.
[formal]
The Prime Minister described transferring education to central government fundingas 'a retrograde step'.
More Synonyms of retrograde
retrograde in British English
(ˈrɛtrəʊˌɡreɪd)
adjective
1.
moving or bending backwards
2.
(esp of order) reverse or inverse
3.
tending towards an earlier worse condition; declining or deteriorating
4. astronomy
a.
occurring or orbiting in a direction opposite to that of the earth's motion around the sun
Compare direct (sense 18)
b.
occurring or orbiting in a direction around a planet opposite to the planet's rotational direction
the retrograde motion of the satellite Phoebe around Saturn
c.
appearing to move in a clockwise direction due to the rotational period exceeding the period of revolution around the sun
Venus has retrograde rotation
5. biology
tending to retrogress; degenerate
6. music
of, concerning, or denoting a melody or part that is played backwards
7. obsolete
opposed, contrary, or repugnant to
verb(intransitive)
8.
to move in a retrograde direction; retrogress
9. US military another word for retreat (sense 1)
Derived forms
retrogradation (ˌretrograˈdation)
noun
retrogradely (ˈretroˌgradely)
adverb
Word origin
C14: from Latin retrōgradī to go backwards, from gradi to walk, go
retrograde in American English
(ˈrɛtrəˌgreɪd)
adjective
1.
moving or directed backward; retiring or retreating
2.
inverse or reverse
said of order
3.
going back or tending to go back to an earlier, esp. worse, condition; retrogressive
4. Obsolete
opposed; contrary
5.
a. Astronomy
moving in an orbit opposite to the usual orbital direction of similar celestial bodies, as opposite to the direction of the earth in its journey around the sun
b. Astrology
designating motion, real or apparent, on the celestial sphere in a direction from east to west
6. Music
designating motion backward in a melody, specif. so as to begin with the last note and end with the first
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈretroˌgraded or ˈretroˌgrading