retrospect

[ re-truh-spekt ]

noun

1. contemplation of the past; a survey of past time, events, etc.

verb (used without object)

1. to look back in thought; refer back (often followed by to ):

   to retrospect to a period in one's youth.

verb (used with object)

1. to look back upon; contemplate retrospectively.

retrospect

/ ˈrɛtrəʊˌspɛkt /

noun

1. the act of surveying things past (often in the phrase in retrospect )

verb

1. to contemplate (anything past); look back on (something)
2. introften foll byto to refer

Word History and Origins

Origin of retrospect¹

1595–1605; probably retro- + (pro)spect

Word History and Origins

Origin of retrospect¹

C17: from Latin retrōspicere to look back, from retro- + specere to look

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in retrospect, in looking back on past events; upon reflection:

   It was, in retrospect, the happiest day of her life.

Example Sentences

I think that in retrospect I should have asked that the piece be held.

From ProPublica

Where there really is … The vertical nature of a lot of places, including the shop that I ran, I find to be, in retrospect, a big mistake, because it makes people feel like that they either have to rise up or leave.

From Ozy

He also said that “in retrospect” it was a mistake to partner with the group.

From Washington Post

In retrospect, the pandemic not only fueled PC market demand but also created opportunities that resulted in a market expansion.

From Fortune

It seems, in retrospect, almost inevitable that I would think of Oscar Wilde’s fairy tales.

From Washington Post

To say this is not to ignore its radical character, especially in retrospect.

From The Daily Beast

“In retrospect, I think we were both surprised,” recalled Singh.

From The Daily Beast

In retrospect, 2009 and 2010 were halcyon days in the Middle East, now that we seem just one horseman short of an apocalypse.

From The Daily Beast

“Only in retrospect did we appreciate our good fortune in being part of a utopian experiment in American journalism,” she writes.

From The Daily Beast

He struck many people there, at the time, not in retrospect, as arrogant and cold.

From The Daily Beast

The retrospect will reveal to them a busy, thronging life underlying the serenity of history.

From Project Gutenberg

It is only in the retrospect that we have been able to grasp something of the effectual case against us.

From Project Gutenberg

He actually enjoyed in retrospect the humiliation of the man, and his heart beat with the excitement of hearing more.

From Project Gutenberg

An impartial retrospect will not permit a commendation of the plan.

From Project Gutenberg

It was seen plainly in retrospect; he had not noticed it much at the time.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• hindsight