Cantilever retaining walls of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) are majorly provided in the hilly region where height of the steep slopes or backfill soil to be retained is more than 5.0–6.0 m. Such retaining walls provide better resistance to backfill pressure and provide better safety against sliding, overturning and bearing capacity failure, when compared to gravity retaining wall. Present study investigates the stress–deformation pattern of cantilever retaining wall corrugated from the front and backside in vertical and horizontal alignment, respectively. The results are compared with conventional plain surface cantilever retaining wall keeping geometric details and geotechnical properties unchanged. Commercially available finite element tool PLAXIS 3D Foundation is utilized for the purpose. Results indicate that there is considerable improvement in the performance of the corrugated cantilever retaining wall measured in terms of deformation and strains in the stem of the wall. Also, the corrugation helps in reducing the amount of concrete used for the construction and thereby contributing toward sustainability due to reduction in the utilization of natural resources like sand, aggregate as well as cement that significantly contributes toward greenhouse gas (GHG).