afterthought

noun

af·​ter·​thought ˈaf-tər-ˌthȯt 

1

: an idea occurring later

2

: something (such as a part or feature) not thought of originally : something secondary

Examples of afterthought in a Sentence

Then I remembered, almost as an afterthought, to feed the cat.

The fact was hidden deep in the report, almost as an afterthought.

The lounge was added to the office as an afterthought.

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the founders, this studio work is not an afterthought. —Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025

On top of all of that, the highest court in the land, which is empowered to overrule judges like Moss, seems firmly in the ideological orbit of the president, with the law coming only as an afterthought. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 7 July 2025

The restaurant is far from an afterthought of the distillery experience, offering a menu of mostly small plates, including pate en croute, beef tartare, trout dip with saltines, frog legs, and gnocchi with mushroom ragu. —Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

The Frontiers report flips that script, urging companies and policymakers to treat child safety not as an afterthought or a set of restrictions but as a creative, proactive design challenge. —Larry Magid, Mercury News, 27 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

after- + thought entry 1

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for afterthought

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot
• huguenot

Kids Definition

afterthought

noun

af·​ter·​thought -ˌthȯt 

1

: a later thought about something one has done or said

2

: something not thought of originally