retroactively

An adverb meaning "taking effect from a date in the past" or "applying to a prior time." It is commonly used in legal, financial, and administrative contexts to describe laws, payments, or decisions that are applied retrospectively.

• 🇫🇷Adverbe signifiant « qui prend effet à une date antérieure » ou « qui s'applique à une période passée ». Utilisé notamment dans les contextes juridique, financier et administratif pour désigner des lois, paiements ou décisions appliqués avec effet rétroactif.

1. After the fact C1 formal

   Applying to events that have already occurred; effective from a past date.

   • The new law was applied retroactively to cases from last year.
   • The salary increase was granted retroactively to the beginning of the quarter.
   • The contract was amended retroactively to include the missing clause.

   🇫🇷Rétroactivement

   Synonymes: ex post factoretrospectively

   Antonymes: henceforthhereafter

• more retroactively comparative form
• most retroactively superlative form