1.
retreat, moving backward
Physical movement backward or withdrawal from a position. Used for troops, vehicles, or people stepping back.
車をゆっくり後退させた。
I slowly backed the car up.
敵の攻撃を受けて部隊は後退した。
The unit retreated under enemy attack.
前線から安全な場所まで後退するよう命令が出た。
Orders were given to retreat from the front line to a safe location.
2.
setback, decline, regression
A figurative worsening or reversal of progress. Used for economic downturns, declining conditions, or loss of ground in negotiations or reforms.
景気が後退している。
The economy is in decline.
改革が大きく後退した。
The reforms suffered a major setback.
交渉は進展するどころか、むしろ後退している印象だ。
Far from making progress, the negotiations seem to be going backward.
USAGE:
Sense 1 is used concretely for physical backward movement. Sense 2 is more common in news and formal writing, describing economic recessions, policy reversals, or deteriorating situations. The noun form often appears in 景気後退 (economic recession).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 景気後退: economic recession
- 一歩後退: a step backward
- 大幅に後退する: to decline significantly
- 前進と後退: progress and setback