What does the prefix retro- mean?
Retro- comes from the Latin retro, which means "backward". It shows movement toward the past or in the opposite direction. The central idea is "toward the past" or "in reverse".
ESEN
Prefix · backward / in the past
retro-
Signals backward movement or reference to the past: retroactive, retrospective, retrofit, retrograde.
Literary
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Retro in culture and design
The word retro, on its own, describes styles that remind you of past eras: fashion, design or classic video games. With the prefix retro- people also talk about space, for movements in the opposite direction and rockets that brake, and about science, in the names of some viruses. If you see retro-, think of looking or going back.
How it is used
Attaches to adjectives and nouns:
- retro- + temporal action/processactive → retroactivespective → retrospectivegrade → retrogradefit → retrofit
- retro- + noun/stylenym → retronymrocket → retrorocketvirus → retrovirusgressive → retrogressive
Pronunciation: /ˈretrəʊ/. "Retro" alone (as an informal adjective or noun) describes something with a nostalgic aesthetic from past decades.
How it is pronounced
retro-/ˈretrəʊ/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
Examples
Root word
With retro-
In a phrase
- activeretroactiveThe pay law is retroactive, applying from January though passed in June.
- spectiveretrospectiveThe gallery opened a retrospective of her forty years of painting.
- graderetrogradeBanning remote work was seen by many as a retrograde step.
- fitretrofitThe council plans to retrofit older housing with heat pumps by 2030.
- nymretronym"Acoustic guitar" is a retronym invented after electric guitars appeared.
- virusretrovirusHIV is a retrovirus that inserts its DNA into the host cell.
- rocketretrorocketThe spacecraft fired its retrorockets to slow down and enter orbit.
Common mistakes
retroactive = taking effect only in the future
retroactive = taking effect backward in time, applying to events or periods before the rule came into force
A retroactive law affects things that already happened before it was passed. This is ethically contentious in law (the non-retroactivity principle) because it changes rules after the fact. A rule that only applies to future events is "prospective," not retroactive.
retro = only 1970s or 1980s style
retro = any style or element that consciously evokes a past era, not necessarily the 70s or 80s
"Retro" can refer to any earlier period perceived as nostalgic: the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or even 90s. What makes something "retro" is that it deliberately evokes the aesthetic of a past decade as a stylistic choice, not simply that it is old.
A trick to remember it
Picture looking in the rearview mirror: retro- = backward, in the past. retroactive, retrospective.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
"The gallery opened a ___ of her work covering forty years, from her earliest to her most recent pieces."
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
What is a "retronym"?
Frequently asked questions
What does the prefix retro- mean in English?
The prefix retro- signals backward movement or reference to the past: retroactive, retrospective, retrofit, retrograde.
How do you pronounce retro-?
The prefix retro- is pronounced /ˈretrəʊ/. For example, "retroactive".
Can you give an example of a word with retro-?
"active" becomes "retroactive". It is a typical example of the retro- prefix.
Other useful prefixes
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un-, re-, pre-, dis-, over-, in-... every beginning you need to unlock thousands of English words at once.