retrospective
Americanadjective
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directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc.
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looking or directed backward.
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retroactive, as a statute.
noun
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an art exhibit showing an entire phase or representative examples of an artist's lifework.
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any exhibition or series of showings or performances, as of musical works or motion pictures, representing the work of an artist or performer over all or a major part of a career.
a retrospective of John Ford's movies.
adjective
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looking or directed backwards, esp in time; characterized by retrospection
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applying to the past; retroactive
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of retrospective
First recorded in 1655–65; retrospect + -ive
Explanation
Retrospective means looking back. An art exhibit that cover an artist's entire career is called a retrospective because it looks back at the work the artist has produced over many years. Retro- means back, -spect- means look (think: spectacles), so the word means literally 'a looking back.' Many people take a retrospective look at their lives on birthdays or on New Year's Eve to evaluate events and see how well they've met their goals. You could call the yearly evaluation you get from your boss a retrospective review of your work.
Vocabulary lists containing retrospective
Just Mercy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gianni Versace Retrospective will open at Arches London Bridge on 16 July, with organisers saying it would "give visitors a kaleidoscopic view of the 90s".
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2025
Retrospective analysis of seismic station data at Barry Arm revealed three landslides that occurred in 2020 and 2021.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024
The Retrospective provides an opportunity not only to celebrate his work, but to learn from past progress to inform how we look forward – something Foster's life has been dedicated to doing.
From Salon • Jul. 16, 2023
In 2020 and 2022, strips by Brandon-Croft and her father were featured in the exhibition “Still … Racism in America: A Retrospective in Cartoons,” which originated in the Medialia Gallery in New York.
From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2023
There is a valuable article on Weldon's book as a whole in The Retrospective Review, 1823, vol. vii, pt.
From Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
