The readiest support for planets' having confocal orbits is their sometimes retrograde motion.
Source: tatoeba (2055601)
Retrograde
/ˈɹɛtɹə(ʊ)ɡɹeɪd/
Synonyms for "retrograde" (151 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (31)
Adjective(8 words)
aftafteraftermostatavisticbackbackslidebackwardcockcoming apartcrackingcrumblingdecadentdeclinedecliningdegeneratedescenddeterioratedeterioratingdisimprovedisintegrate
Show 1 more word
Adverb(1 words)
Verb(1 words)
Strong matches (45)
drainingdroopingdwindlingebbebbingeffetefadingfailingfall asternfall backfall behindfallingflaggingfragmentingget behindget worsego backwardsgo behindgoing to piecesgrow worse
Show 21 more words
hindhinderhindermosthindhandhindmostinvertjerkjerk backlanguishinglapselapse backlet downlose groundmarcescentpiningposteriorposternpull backreactionaryrearrearmost
Verb(1 words)
hash over
Adjective(2 words)
medieval termmoral regression
Noun(1 words)
Related words (75)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
28 entriesastronomical phenomenondeclinedescriptive termdeteriorationdirectionaldraw backgolocomotemodificationmotionmovemove backorborbitpull away
Showing 16 of 28 words.
More specific
13 entriesCollocations
13 entriesapparent retrogradeastronomical retrogradebackward directionbackward movementbackward stepplanetary retrograderegressive policyregressive trendretrograde analysisretrograde motionretrograde orbitretrograde periodretrograde step
Inflections
5 entriesDerivations
5 entriesAntonyms
2 entriessimilar
2 entriesTranslations
1 translations across 1 languages.
Catalan
1 entries- retrògrad adj (reverting to an inferior or less developed state — see also declining, regressing)
Sample sentences
14 total sentences available.
Venus rotates slowly on its axis in a clockwise direction, which is referred to as a "retrograde" rotation because it is the opposite of the seven other planets.
Source: tatoeba (3955468)
Venus has a retrograde rotation which means it rotates on its axis in the opposite direction from the Earth's rotation. This causes the Sun to rise in the west and move eastward across the sky.
Source: tatoeba (3955478)
Due to Triton's retrograde orbit, its density, and its composition, astronomers theorize that Triton was not originally a satellite of Neptune, but was captured by Neptune's gravitational pull, forcing it into an orbit around the planet.
Source: tatoeba (3957459)
Showing 4 of 14 available sentences.