retroactively

adverb/ˌrɛtroʊˈæktɪvli/

Frequency rank: #13,835 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)

Meaning

Taking effect from a date in the past, before a law or decision was officially made.

Illustration for the English word “retroactively”

Example sentence

The new tax law was applied retroactively to cover income earned in the previous year.

Synonyms & related words

More words in ranks 13,801–13,900