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

Even without gimmicks, shooting never feels like an afterthought, with tense firefights punctuating methodical exploration. —PC Magazine, 2 Dec. 2025

In this characteristically pre-#MeToo moment, in a film produced and closely overseen by Harvey Weinstein, Shakespeare’s wife and children were an afterthought. —James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025

The Texans are on the bubble of the playoff picture, the Chargers are clinging to their Wild Card standing and the Broncos — once a divisional afterthought — are making their push for the AFC’s top seed and bye. —Kansas City Star, 28 Nov. 2025

But when what’s at stake is realizing a product vision passionate audiences will appreciate, design shouldn’t be an afterthought. —Chris Novak, Fortune, 27 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