ret·ro·spect
ˈre-trə-ˌspekt 
1
: a review of or meditation on past events
2
archaic
: reference to or regard of a precedent or authority
retrospected; retrospecting; retrospects
: to go back over in thought
Synonyms
Examples of retrospect in a Sentence
Noun
in retrospect, we should have saved more money for college
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
In retrospect, that analysis looks spot on, since pretty much the same thing seems to have happened in the latest inflation cycle.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
In retrospect, the title of his second album sounds like a fanfare, announcing the arrival of his steely twang and his absolute authority with a song.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 1 Apr. 2024
Such certainty is possible only in retrospect, however.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
In retrospect, the integer distance problem was waiting for mathematicians who were willing to consider more unruly curves than hyperbolas and then draw on recondite tools from algebraic geometry and number theory to tame them.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Others argue that the race resulted in cultural shifts that are better understood in retrospect.
—Emiko Jozuka For Cnn, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
In retrospect, Ballmer set the stage for a stunning comeback in the decades since.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2024
Even leaving aside the disregard for the actors and crew, the message, in retrospect, began to seem self-canceling.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
There’s easy access to the mountains, numerous canyons to explore, beautiful sunsets and a retrospect view of Great Salt Lake.
—Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023
In retrospect, bizarre Bible-thumping rhetoric wasn’t Watt’s most important influence on his ideas—or his legacy.
—Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 16 June 2023
Pressure to raise money for research, the allure of unrestricted donations for novel ideas and the aura of star scholars may have contributed to decisions that in retrospect look tawdry.
—Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2019
In retrospect people hate Darvish, but at the time of the trade most Dodger fans were ecstatic.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2019
Her political commentaries, though no doubt engrossing at their time of publication, seem in retrospect rather ragged and dog-eared, like the moldering magazines one finds in the waiting room at the doctor’s office.
—Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2018
Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
Noun
That the grain of the marvel was always there is sensed only in retrospect.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
In retrospect, that analysis looks spot on, since pretty much the same thing seems to have happened in the latest inflation cycle.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
In retrospect, the title of his second album sounds like a fanfare, announcing the arrival of his steely twang and his absolute authority with a song.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 1 Apr. 2024
Such certainty is possible only in retrospect, however.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
In retrospect, the integer distance problem was waiting for mathematicians who were willing to consider more unruly curves than hyperbolas and then draw on recondite tools from algebraic geometry and number theory to tame them.
—Quanta Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Others argue that the race resulted in cultural shifts that are better understood in retrospect.
—Emiko Jozuka For Cnn, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
In retrospect, Ballmer set the stage for a stunning comeback in the decades since.
—Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2024
Even leaving aside the disregard for the actors and crew, the message, in retrospect, began to seem self-canceling.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Yet even if the interdiction on restaurants was, in retrospect, excessive, no one could have known that then.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
There’s easy access to the mountains, numerous canyons to explore, beautiful sunsets and a retrospect view of Great Salt Lake.
—Paighten Harkins, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023
In retrospect, bizarre Bible-thumping rhetoric wasn’t Watt’s most important influence on his ideas—or his legacy.
—Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 16 June 2023
Pressure to raise money for research, the allure of unrestricted donations for novel ideas and the aura of star scholars may have contributed to decisions that in retrospect look tawdry.
—Washington Post, 17 Sep. 2019
In retrospect people hate Darvish, but at the time of the trade most Dodger fans were ecstatic.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2019
Her political commentaries, though no doubt engrossing at their time of publication, seem in retrospect rather ragged and dog-eared, like the moldering magazines one finds in the waiting room at the doctor’s office.
—Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2018
Verb
In retrospect the unfolding of Watergate in the press and the courts and Congress is our American Oresteia.
—Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retrospect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near retrospect
Cite this Entry
“Retrospect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrospect. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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