Definition of retrospective
1a (1) : of, relating to, or given to retrospection (2) : based on memory a retrospective reportb : being a retrospective a retrospective exhibition
2 : affecting things past : retroactive retrospective laws
3 : relating to or being a study (as of a disease) that starts with the present condition of a population of individuals and collects data about their past history to explain their present condition
retrospectively
adverbFrom the M-W Editors
retrospective was our Word of the Day on 03/28/2017. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of retrospective in a Sentence
They issued a retrospective report.
a retrospective analysis of what went wrong
The museum is having a retrospective exhibit of the artist's early works.
Did You Know?
Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again, wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1839 novel Hyperion. But these days the past is trendy, old-fashioned is hip, and "flea-market vogue" is not an oxymoron. And of course, "retrospective" is as retro as it gets. A glance at the history of "retrospective" reveals that it traces back to the Latin retro- (meaning "back," "behind," or "backward") and "specere" (meaning "to look at"). Once you have "retrospective" behind you, you can also add its kin "retrospect" (which is used as a noun, an adjective, and a verb) and "retrospection" to your vocabulary, too. "Retrospective" can also be used as a noun, referring to an exhibition that "looks back" at artistic work created over a span of years.
1664
First Known Use of retrospective
1664
retrospective
Definition of retrospective
: a generally comprehensive exhibition, compilation, or performance of the work of an artist over a span of years; broadly : review 7a a retrospective of 20th century haute couture
Examples of retrospective in a Sentence
The museum is featuring a retrospective of Picasso's early works.
1929
First Known Use of retrospective
1929
RETROSPECTIVE Defined for English Language Learners
retrospective
playDefinition of retrospective for English Language Learners
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: of or relating to the past or something that happened in the past
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: effective from a particular date in the past
retrospective
Definition of retrospective for English Language Learners
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: an exhibition of work that an artist has done in the past
Medical Dictionary
retrospective
playMedical Definition of retrospective
1a: of, relating to, or given to introspectionb: relating to or being a study (as of a disease) that starts with the present condition of a population of individuals and collects data about their past history to explain their present condition—compare prospective
2: based on memory
retrospectively
adverbLaw Dictionary
retrospective
playLegal Definition of retrospective
: affecting things past : retroactive; specifically : of, relating to, or being a law that takes away or impairs vested rights, creates new duties or obligations, or attaches new disabilities with respect to acts and transactions completed before its enactment
retrospectively
adverbLearn More about retrospective
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See words that rhyme with retrospective Spanish Central: Translation of retrospective Nglish: Translation of retrospective for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of retrospective for Arabic speakers
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