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

Qatar was not ready for the world’s most prominent sporting stage four years ago, having only qualified for the World Cup thanks to its status as the host nation, after spending the previous 70 years as an afterthought – or even a non-entity – in the soccer world. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 13 June 2026

Too often, America still treats oral health as an afterthought—segregated from medicine, detached from justice, and absent from too much of health policy. —Jean Paul Laurent, Time, 11 June 2026

Chinese investors have largely kept overseas manufacturing as an afterthought. —Natasha Bracken, semafor.com, 11 June 2026

Why home scent matters now As more people host gatherings at home and rethink what hospitality looks like, scent has moved from an afterthought to a deliberate design choice. —Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026

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