as in philosophical
given to or marked by reflection of the past
Her book takes a retrospective look at the actor's long and distinguished career.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of retrospective
The retrospective study would analyze existing health records to identify patterns linked to historical pollution exposure.
—
Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Yeah, so the law has this long-standing distinction between what the lawyers would call prospective relief and retrospective relief.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Crushing Fielded Forces from the Air Contrary to some retrospective claims, Desert Storm was not an example of AirLand Battle in action.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The first stop on this retrospective journey is the Cold War, a time marked by scientific breakthroughs that were both awesome and terrifying.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for retrospective
Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Yeah, so the law has this long-standing distinction between what the lawyers would call prospective relief and retrospective relief.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Crushing Fielded Forces from the Air Contrary to some retrospective claims, Desert Storm was not an example of AirLand Battle in action.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The first stop on this retrospective journey is the Cold War, a time marked by scientific breakthroughs that were both awesome and terrifying.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for retrospective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrospective
Adjective
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Both were incredibly philosophical about their reasons for coming back.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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His customers include older baby boomers and Gen X‑ers nostalgic for the players of their childhood, but most have been millennials like himself, drawn to something tactile and analog in an era when everything else disappears into the digital ether.—
Oliver Wang,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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The wooden ones are also nostalgic.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The future king addressed his personal introspective journey with frankness and awareness, an openness unusual for the royal family, which is traditionally reserved on many topics including difficult emotions and mental health.—
Stefania Conrieri,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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Her interrogations are often deeply introspective.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Much of the action is in the form of talking, which the incisively analytical images parse with the emotional precision of dramatic stagings, lending the talk a sort of emphatic onscreen incarnation.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
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The Epstein Tapes Earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that the Polish government would create an analytical team to examine whether Polish children were abused via criminal networks connected to Epstein.—
Leigh Kiniry,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Rooms can accommodate families with connecting layouts, and a thoughtful program for Little Stars includes boba tea-making classes, Hakka umbrella-painting workshops, and various Taiwanese cooking classes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Feb. 2026
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The most elaborate of these suites spanned the top floors of houses and were filled with thoughtful decorations and toys.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Other technologies that could be phased out include waste heat recovery systems that pull heat from the car’s engine to the interior, solar reflective surface coating and high efficacy exterior lights.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
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The pair will also include a glow-in-the-dark green rubber outsole and a reflective silver finish on the heel logo.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrospective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrospective. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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