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

Waltz will have to navigate the reality that, this time around, the UN has been a true afterthought. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025

Trent Grisham was an afterthought in the trade that brought Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees. —Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025

Make evaluation an ongoing process, not just an afterthought. —Sebastian Crossa, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Or, if the run game gets going again, he could be relegated to an afterthought. —Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 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