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

Every Touchpoint Is Expected To Be Content-Ready The biggest shift for us as a brand experience agency has been clients expecting every touchpoint to be content-ready by design, not as an afterthought. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

However extreme, he was billed as football’s answer to Shohei Ohtani, yet Hunter closed the season as an afterthought. — Jeff Howe, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Despite its overall financial success, the Insidious horror franchise sometimes feels like an afterthought. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026

But much can be made more navigable for vacationing families like mine simply by taking intentional steps to consider our experiences and needs, and not only as an afterthought. — Nicole Chung, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 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