afterthought

noun

af·​ter·​thought ˈaf-tər-ˌthȯt 

1

: an idea occurring later

made the suggestion as an afterthought

2

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

a seating area added as an afterthought to the office

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

Basketball was an afterthought for the young Wilkens, who, in his freshman year of high school at Boys High School in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, was the 15th boy on a 15-player basketball team. —Joe Vardon, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025

Sanders, a charismatic NFL legend, immediately brought a spotlight to a program that had long been an afterthought. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025

Make distribution a design choice, not an afterthought. —Essence, 6 Nov. 2025

The how’s and why’s of Carol’s unprecedented situation are given ample consideration, but parts of the world-building can still feel like an afterthought. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 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