retrospection

noun

ret·​ro·​spec·​tion ˌre-trə-ˈspek-shən 

: the act or process or an instance of surveying the past

Synonyms

• reappraisal
• reconsideration
• reexamination
• retrospect
• review

Examples of retrospection in a Sentence

This is a time of retrospection for many people.

the president is confident that future retrospections will cast his actions in a more favorable light

Recent Examples on the Web

By contrast, retrospection has played a blessedly small part in the emotional legend of Ethan Hunt. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 14 July 2023

But Shepherd, who’ll play at the Montgomery Performing Arts Centre on July 19 before returning to the Mobile Saenger Theatre on July 20, has at least reached a point in his career where some retrospection is natural. —Lawrence Specker | [e-mail], al, 11 July 2023

The land stands to remain vacant with room only for their retrospection if the historical designation stays. —Lateshia Beachum, Washington Post, 14 June 2023

That’s not just rosy-eyed retrospection. —Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022

So Hilton got to work on her memoir, an endeavor that required a lot of retrospection. —André-Naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2023

The Von Erichs, whose influence on wrestling extends from the 1960s to the present day, have been the subject of retrospection for years, but this is the first time their narrative has come to a feature film. —Dallas News, 21 June 2022

Still, retrospection has a way of making such moments even brighter and shinier, and Jena Romanticism survived in the continuing influence of the thinkers who briefly lived there. —Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022

Executive game filming leverages mental retrospection in the same way athletes adjust their performance after watching themselves on video. —John Rex, Forbes, 15 Sep. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

retrospection

noun

ret·​ro·​spec·​tion ˌre-trə-ˈspek-shən 

1

: the act or power of recalling the past

2

: retrospect