retrospect

1 of 3

noun

ret·​ro·​spect ˈre-trə-ˌspekt How to pronounce retrospect (audio)
1
: a review of or meditation on past events
2
archaic : reference to or regard of a precedent or authority

retrospect

2 of 3

adjective

retrospect

3 of 3

verb

retrospected; retrospecting; retrospects

intransitive verb

1
: to engage in retrospection
2
: to refer back : reflect

transitive verb

: to go back over in thought
Phrases
in retrospect
: in considering the past or a past event

Examples of retrospect in a Sentence

Noun in retrospect, we should have saved more money for college
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But the movie’s pockets of colorful hallucinatory surrealism are quite stunning in their construction, even if the mystery and character work are lackluster in retrospect. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2024 The last time, in 1956, Republican president Dwight Eisenhower defeated Democrat Adlai Stevenson for the second time in a contest that, at least in retrospect, seems gentlemanly. Susan Page, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 Yet, people have a new, more favorable attitude toward his presidency in retrospect, certainly compared with the current occupant of the White House. Rich Lowry, National Review, 5 Mar. 2024 In retrospect, the array acted something like a biotech company’s portfolio of drugs in development, or a movie studio’s roster of action thrillers. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 Every family's journey is unique and requires a certain level of faith, and while ours was a challenging few months, what becomes abundantly clear, in retrospect, is how precious and perfect every moment is. Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 In retrospect, physicists see that Anderson’s work contained the seeds of a rebellion against thermalization. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 In retrospect, there was perhaps nothing surprising about Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Tara Sonenshine, The Conversation, 26 Feb. 2024 The result is a mere yarn that, lacking any sense of meaningful retrospect at a quarter century’s distance, remains untethered at either end of its time line and merely goes slack. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Yet even if the interdiction on restaurants was, in retrospect, excessive, no one could have known that then. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 There’s easy access to the mountains, numerous canyons to explore, beautiful sunsets and a retrospect view of Great Salt Lake. Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023 In retrospect, bizarre Bible-thumping rhetoric wasn’t Watt’s most important influence on his ideas—or his legacy. Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 16 June 2023 Pressure to raise money for research, the allure of unrestricted donations for novel ideas and the aura of star scholars may have contributed to decisions that in retrospect look tawdry. Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2019 In retrospect people hate Darvish, but at the time of the trade most Dodger fans were ecstatic. Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2019 Her political commentaries, though no doubt engrossing at their time of publication, seem in retrospect rather ragged and dog-eared, like the moldering magazines one finds in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2018
Verb
In retrospect the unfolding of Watergate in the press and the courts and Congress is our American Oresteia. Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retrospect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from retro- + prospect

First Known Use

Noun

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1701, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1659, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of retrospect was in 1601

Dictionary Entries Near retrospect

Cite this Entry

“Retrospect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrospect. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

retrospect

noun
ret·​ro·​spect
ˈre-trə-ˌspekt
: a looking back on or a thinking about past events

More from Merriam-Webster on retrospect

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