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Hotmale Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary

Retreat

Hello,

I'd like to ask you if "retreat" can be used in place of "regress", e.g.

"When he was dumped by his girlfriend, Mike regressed/retreated into being a little boy and cried in his room all day"

Thank you
  

Top answer

Both "retreat" and "regress" are too formal for that sentence. I would phrase it like this: When Mike was dumped by his girlfriend, he acted like a little boy and cried in his room all day. or When Mike was dumped by his girlfriend, he started acting like a little boy and cried in his room all day.

— Teechr

  • Both "retreat" and "regress" are too formal for that sentence.
  • I would phrase it like this: When Mike was dumped by his girlfriend, he acted like a little boy and cried in his room all day.
  • or When Mike was dumped by his girlfriend, he started acting like a little boy and cried in his room all day.
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2 Answers
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Both "retreat" and "regress" are too formal for that sentence. I would phrase it like this:
When Mike was dumped by his girlfriend, he acted like a little boy and cried in his room all day.
or
When Mike was dumped by his girlfriend, he started acting like a little boy and cried in his room all day.
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I see. Thank you.
If I used the "retreat" in a more formal context, would it all right?
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