The word “progress” carries the notion of forward movement or improvement. Its antonyms suggest the opposite, including stagnation, decline, deterioration, and retrogression.
Baldwin uses this theme throughout the book to illustrate a core problem. He argues that the superficial appearance of progress masks deeper, unresolved issues.
As the saying goes, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” In other words, it’s impossible to get ahead without constantly getting back on track.
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Stagnation
Stagnation is a term that describes a situation where change has stopped or has slowed down. This type of situation can be temporary or long-lasting and it can have negative effects on the economy. It can lead to higher unemployment rates, lower wages and lower economic growth. Modern economies depend on constant growth to provide jobs and to pay for goods and services. Without this, it is hard for people to find work or to afford basic needs.
Stagnation can be caused by a variety of factors, such as the aging population or political instability. It can also be a result of a recession or other financial crisis. Stagnation is often accompanied by high inflation, which makes it even more difficult for people to find employment and buy things.
Many economic historians have studied the causes of stagnation. Some have focused on the role of sociological factors, while others have explored how different countries struggled to adapt to changed external conditions. Trying to isolate specific causal factors is difficult, however. This is because a variety of factors can influence an economy’s performance, such as war or famine.
Decline
The opposite of progress is decline. This is a noun that describes something going downhill (the opposite of an incline on a treadmill). It can also refer to a decrease in quality. The project’s progress declined when the team encountered unexpected issues. He saw a decline in his health as he grew older.
Some antonyms of decline include words that suggest temporary delays or setbacks, such as snag and stall. These are gentler alternatives to decline, compared to stronger words that suggest a serious problem such as breakdown and deterioration. These words can also describe a slow and gradual decrease in something, such as a person’s physical powers in later life or a product’s quality over time. These are not as durable as the positive change of progress.
Deterioration
The opposite of progress is deterioration, which means that something is getting worse. This can include a loss of quality or value, such as a decrease in the usefulness of an item. It can also refer to a decline in health, such as a worsening of a patient’s condition. Deterioration can also be a physical phenomenon, such as the gradual deterioration of paint or wood that occurs when it is exposed to sun and rain.
There are many other antonyms for progress, including words that suggest failure or decline. These can range from gentle phrases that indicate a temporary setback to strong words that suggest a complete breakdown. Other antonyms for progress are stagnation, decline, regression and retrogression. All of these imply a lack of movement or advancement toward a goal. They can be viewed as positive or negative, depending on the situation. They can also be viewed as a step backward or a return to an earlier stage of development.
Regression
Regression is a statistical method that estimates the correlation between two variables in a dataset. It is used in a variety of fields, including economics and finance, and it is often referred to as “regression toward the mean.” Regression is based on the assumption that the distribution of the response variable is normally distributed, and it can be applied to a number of different kinds of data sets.
While progress implies forward movement towards a goal, there are several opposites that convey a lack of progress or a return to an earlier state. Stagnation, decline, deterioration, regression, and retrogression all indicate a lack of progress or reversal in progression toward a goal. In addition, there are a number of words that suggest delays and setbacks, such as snag and hiccup. This page also includes a list of other helpful synonyms and antonyms for progress, such as advancement, breakthrough, development, evolution, and headway. These antonyms may be useful when searching for a word that carries the same meaning as progress, but is more descriptive of the situation or event at hand.
Retrogression
The opposite of progress is retrogression, which refers to a decline or backward movement from a higher level or state. It can be a negative development, for example, in difficult social situations a child may retrogress to an infantish level of maturity, and under the extreme conditions of total war a society may retrogress to a primitive state. In terms of human development, it is usually undesirable to retrogress, as it can lead to a lack of self-confidence or self-esteem, and an overall feeling of inferiority.
The above examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘retrogression.’ Any opinions in these examples are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. If you have a suggestion for an alternative definition of this word, please feel free to submit it. We would love to hear from you! If you find this page helpful, please share it with others. Thank you! We are in the process of adding more content to this page.
