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

There were my life events before SJS—when my health was an afterthought—and the ones after SJS—when every aspect of my body and daily routine demanded vigilance. —Stella Shon, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024

Industrial companies have historically struggled with the ad hoc nature of their software development processes, which were often an afterthought to their core operations. —Jiani Zhang, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

In reality, the cowbell was an afterthought on the part of David Lucas, who was one of the producers of that record. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024

Stocking stuffers don’t have to be an afterthought this holiday season, thanks to these 45 bougie stuffers hiding on Amazon. —Mia Meltzer, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

after- + thought entry 1

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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