- recede
- recede, retreat, retrograde, retract, back can all mean to move or seem to move in a direction that is exactly the opposite of ahead or forward.Recede stresses marked and usually gradually increasing distance from a given point, line, or position, but it implies movement on the part of what recedes only when a fixed point of view is indicated or understood{
the tide is receding
}{until the flood waters recede
}{while I stood gazing, both the children gradually grew fainter to my view, receding, and still receding— Lamb
}When the point of view is that of a traveler or the distance is in time rather than in space, the receding thing is stationary and the point of view changes. In such a case either a gradual disappearance (as from view or consciousness) or a change in perspective is implied{he stood at the ship's stern watching the shore recede from view
}{past events as they recede appear in truer proportions— L. P. Smith
}{the possibility of certain ultimate solutions has rather receded than approached as the years went by— Krutch
}When used of persons and their ideas or attitudes, recede suggests departure from a fixed idea, or determined attitude, or a definite stand{he was far too self-willed to recede from a position, especially as it would involve humiliation— Hardy
}Retreat implies withdrawal from a point or position reached, usually because of uncertainty, or of imminent defeat or danger, or in obedience to orders{after the failure of the first attack, the army retreated
}{he had retreated inside himself, as into a dense thicket— Hervey
}{they frequently approached this theme, and always retreated from it— Meredith
}Retrograde implies movement contrary to what is expected, normal, or natural; thus, a planet retrogrades when it moves or seems to move from east to west, or in a direction opposite to that of the usual planetary course. The verb is also used to imply the reverse of progress in the course of development (as of an institution, a species, or an individual){some races have been stationary, or even have retrograded— Lubbock
}{in his Latin and Greek he was retrograding— Meredith
}{we have no control over the process by which the arts or sciences advance or retrograde— Whitehead
}Occasionally it is used to imply a going backward in time or an inversion of the chronological order{our narrative retrogrades to a period shortly previous to the incidents last mentioned— Scott
}Retract suggests a drawing backward or inward from a forward or exposed position, often in reference to those parts of an organism which can be thrust forward or drawn backward{a cat retracting its claws
}{throwing out and retracting their left fists like pawing horses— Shaw
}Back applies to any retrograde motion and is often qualified by an adverb (as up, out, or down){back an automobile
}{the water in a drain backs up when a pipe cannot carry it off
}{back out of a room
}{a wind backs when it shifts to a counterclockwise direction
}Often when followed by out or down it implies a receding from a stand or attitude, or a retreating from a promise or an engagement{he will never back down once his word is given
}{he is trying to back out now that he sees how much work the project entails
}{the opposition forced the governor to back down and to recall his recommendations
}Antonyms: proceed: advance (sense 2)
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
