1.
2.
[syn: ex post facto, retroactive, retro]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Retroactive \Re`tro*act"ive\, a. [Cf. F. r['e]troactif.]
Fitted or designed to retroact; operating by returned action;
affecting what is past; retrospective. --Beddoes.
[1913 Webster]
Retroactive law or Retroactive statute (Law), one which
operates to make criminal or punishable, or in any way
expressly to affect, acts done prior to the passing of the
law.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
retroactive
adj 1: descriptive of any event or stimulus or process that has
an effect on the effects of events or stimuli or process
that occurred previously [ant: proactive]
2: affecting things past; "retroactive tax increase"; "an ex-
post-facto law"; "retro pay" [syn: ex post facto,
retroactive, retro]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
24 Moby Thesaurus words for "retroactive":
a priori, antiphonal, back, backward, early, ex post facto,
into the past, reacting, reactionary, reactive, recessive, reflex,
reflexive, refluent, regressive, respondent, responding,
responsive, retroactionary, retrocessive, retrograde,
retrogressive, retrospective, revulsive