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

In two seasons, Pitino oversaw Clayton’s transformation from a recruiting afterthought into the MAAC Player of the Year and the apple of many high-major eyes. —The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 25 June 2025

Leaders in high-risk or regulated industries need to stop treating logistics as an afterthought and start viewing it as a core competency. —Ari Raptis, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

They're crafted to protect user data from the start, not as an afterthought. —Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 25 June 2025

The press noted the death of the brilliant founding member of the Beach Boys almost as an afterthought — there were so many more pressing things to report that week. —Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 21 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