retrospective

American  

[re-truh-spek-tiv] / ˌrɛ trəˈspɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc.

2. looking or directed backward.

3. retroactive, as a statute.

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noun

• retrospectives
  plural

1. an art exhibit showing an entire phase or representative examples of an artist's lifework.

2. 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.

retrospective British  

/ ˌrɛtrəʊˈspɛktɪv /

adjective

1. looking or directed backwards, esp in time; characterized by retrospection

2. applying to the past; retroactive

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noun

1. an exhibition of an artist's life's work or a representative selection of it

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retrospectiveness
  noun
• retrospectively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• retrospectives
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of retrospective

First recorded in 1655–65; retrospect + -ive

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retrospective retrospectives

A major retrospective argues that the New Yorker predicted today’s image-obsessed culture while it also emphasizes his radical approach to art-making in the 1960s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

She had not been unwell with either, only discovering she had contracted both through retrospective tests.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Albuquerque and Vendredi emphasize that “Cosmic Land” is a survey, not a retrospective, as the artist hopes to mount one in the next decade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

"Nirvana continues to resonate so deeply because people are still hungry for authenticity," bass player Krist Novoselic said after a video retrospective of the band's videos.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

During that time Jefferson was too busy to indulge in retrospective fretting over the loss of a friend.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Her instantly recognizable flower paintings, desert landscapes, bleached bones and abstractions have won her dozens of museum retrospectives or themed solo exhibitions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Confessions II” features intimate retrospectives of Madonna’s career and personal life — rare, clear-eyed visits to the past from an artist who has always preferred to keep her eyes on the future.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

Regardless of the inspiration these repertory theaters provide with, say, retrospectives of Akira Kurosawa, the model is not bulletproof to the punches theaters have taken.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2025

By the 2000s, Ms. Steiner found her work the subject of career retrospectives at the Leica Gallery in New York, the PhotoAlicante art festival in Spain and elsewhere.

From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2023

Calder — once called America’s most beloved sculptor — won widespread acclaim during his lifetime, with major New York museums like MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Whitney mounting retrospectives when he was still alive.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

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