afterword

American  

[af-ter-wurd, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌwɜrd, ˈɑf- /

noun

1. a concluding section, commentary, etc., as of a book, treatise, or the like; closing statement.

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afterword British  

/ ˈɑːftəˌwɜːd /

noun

1. an epilogue or postscript in a book, etc

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Etymology

Origin of afterword

First recorded in 1885–90; after + word

Example Sentences

You also write in the afterword about leaving Gaza and going to Lebanon, only to find the war following you there.

From Slate • Sep. 22, 2025

To fill in for the debate’s abysmal silences, here are a few quotes from the afterword about the ongoing carnage:

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2024

This collection’s afterword reads like a recording from King’s therapist’s couch, or a confessional on a reality TV series.

From Seattle Times • May 27, 2024

“Goldenseal‘s” premise is based, Hummel writes in her afterword, on Sándor Márai’s “Embers,” which similarly follows two men meeting four decades after an event that tore their friendship apart.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2024

Michael Frayn, in an afterword to his play Copenhagen, notes that several words in German–Unsicherheit, Unschärfe, Unbestimmtheit–have been used by various translators, but that none quite equates to the English uncertainty.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson