What does regressive mean?
Regressive means moving backward or tending toward a less advanced, less favorable, or earlier condition. It can describe a broad historical or cultural process, as in a regressive attitude that resists social progress, or a specific policy that places disproportionate burdens on people with fewer resources. The word is especially important in economics and politics, where regressive taxation helps wealthier households pay a smaller percentage of their income than poorer households. Although “regressive” clearly implies decline or backward movement, it does not always mean that every affected group experiences an immediate decline; rather, it emphasizes a pattern that disadvantages some people relative to others. The term is more precise than simply calling something unfair because it identifies the direction of the effect and the unequal distribution of costs. It is most often encountered in formal discussion of taxation, public policy, social welfare, and political change.
adjectiveTending to move or develop backward, especially in a way that represents a decline from a previous state. In social or economic contexts, it describes policies or effects that disproportionately burden lower-income or less advantaged groups.
- Tending to move, develop, or return backward.
- Characterized by a decline, deterioration, or return to an earlier condition.
- In social or economic contexts, affecting lower-income or less advantaged groups more heavily than others.
"The company introduced a regressive policy that increased costs for its lowest-paid employees."
"The proposed changes would be regressive because they would place a greater relative burden on families with lower incomes."
"The organization's regressive attitude toward change prevented it from adopting new technology."
A regressive policy sounds backward because it can make inequality worse: it asks the people with the fewest resources to carry a disproportionate share of the burden.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does regressive come from?
Regressive comes from Latin regressus, a past participle of regredi, meaning “to go back.” The English cognate regress developed from the same Latin verb and gave rise to regression. Related English words such as digress and transgress also involve the Latin root gradi, “to step,” through forms meaning “to step back” or “to step across.” The adjective entered English in the early 17th century and initially referred to movement or tendency toward the past or backward.
Related word forms
How regressive is actually used
The word is formal and often critical, especially when describing social, economic, or political policies. In its general sense, it can refer to any backward movement, while in economics it specifically describes a tax or benefit that takes a larger share from lower-income groups.
Easily confused with regressive
Regress is usually a verb meaning to move backward or deteriorate, while regressive is an adjective describing something that moves backward or tends toward regression.