Home/Rootonym/Moving or tending backwards; reverting to an earlier or inferior condition; inverse or reversed (adjective)
Moving or tending backwards; reverting to an earlier or inferior condition; inverse or reversed (adjective)
USA Today Rootonym clue · 10 letters · last seen September 7, 2026
Answer
RETROGRADE
The Root
GRADmeans “step, go, walk, degree”
In a sentence: Bill has a RETROGRADE sinus infection that has not yet responded to antibiotics.
About this clue
The Rootonym clue “Moving or tending backwards; reverting to an earlier or inferior condition; inverse or reversed (adjective)” has the answer RETROGRADE (10 letters), built on the root GRAD, which means “step, go, walk, degree”. See the full September 7, 2026 Rootonym puzzle for the other three words, or browse all Rootonym answers.