retroactive

[ re-troh-ak-tiv ]

/ ˌrɛ troʊˈæk tɪv /

operative with respect to past occurrences, as a statute; retrospective: a retroactive law.

pertaining to a pay raise effective as of a past date.

Origin of retroactive

First recorded in 1605–15; retro- + active

ret·ro·ac·tive·ly, adverb ret·ro·ac·tiv·i·ty, noun non·ret·ro·ac·tive, adjective non·ret·ro·ac·tive·ly, adverb

non·ret·ro·ac·tiv·i·ty, noun un·ret·ro·ac·tive, adjective un·ret·ro·ac·tive·ly, adverb

For a pair such as Viola and Perov, who have co-created work for decades, there is also precedent for retroactive co-authorship.

Why the Art World Ignores Wives |Jessica Dawson |March 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Lavalle and his three pals allegedly pocketed a cut of the retroactive lump sum ofas much as $100,000 that each claimant received.

The 9/11 Scam: New York’s Disability Disgrace |Michael Daly |January 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
What this may do is reduce the retroactive awards that folks get when they finally manage to get their disability claim approved.

Obama's Budget: Has He Gone Too Far, or Not Far Enough? |Megan McArdle |April 5, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The corroboration that apparently led him to put faith in Ben-Menashe's testimony was retroactive.

Reagan's "October Surprise" is Still Getting Debunked |Noah Kristula-Green |April 26, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

Despite his red-hot debate showings—and a retroactive win in Iowa—Senator Sweatervest was basically a nonfactor in Florida.

Florida Primary: Rick Santorum’s Daughter’s Illness |Michelle Cottle |February 1, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
On the other hand, the retroactive effects of true charity are most beneficial.

The Moral Instruction of Children |Felix Adler
This heroine is very nobly and vividly imaged, and we feel the poet to be full of a retroactive as well as a present patriotism.

Views and Reviews |Henry James
A retroactive act of that State had declared them slaves again, and they had fled to Philadelphia where they were arrested.

Fugitive Slaves |Marion Gleason McDougall
But a person who cannot take this oath, retroactive though it be, must have been a traitor.

Charles Sumner; His Complete Works, Volume X (of 20) |Charles Sumner
That order could have no retroactive effect, to make his orders to have been valid in the past.

The American Indian as Participant in the Civil War |Annie Heloise Abel

retroactive

/ (ˌrɛtrəʊˈæktɪv) /

applying or referring to the past retroactive legislation

effective or operative from a date or for a period in the past

retroactively, adverb retroactiveness or retroactivity, noun