afterthought

American  

[af-ter-thawt, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌθɔt, ˈɑf- /

noun

1. a later or second thought; reconsideration.

2. reflection after an act; an appropriate explanation, answer, expedient, or the like, conceived of too late for the occasion.

3. something added, as a part or feature, that was not included in the original plan or design.

   The vestry was added to the church as an afterthought.

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afterthought British  

/ ˈɑːftəˌθɔːt /

noun

1. a comment, reply, etc, that occurs to one after the opportunity to deliver it has passed

2. an addition to something already completed

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Etymology

Origin of afterthought

First recorded in 1655–65; after + thought ¹

Explanation

An afterthought is something you think of or add later. You might quickly wrap a gift and then stick a bow on it as an afterthought just before you hand it to the birthday boy. Sometimes calling something an afterthought is a bit of an insult — a movie reviewer might complain that female characters seem added on as afterthoughts, or a diner at a fancy restaurant could note that while the meat is well-cooked, the vegetables are nothing but an afterthought. This word has been used since the 1600s, a compound of after and thought.

Example Sentences

Originally pitched as a movie, the comeback is subdivided instead into 30-minute-long quarters, giving them a certain heft, whereas a “TV movie” might have felt like a throwaway, an afterthought.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

For the past few years, central processing units, or CPUs—the core engines of most computers, from laptops to smartphones to data-center servers—have been something of an afterthought in the world of artificial-intelligence computing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

"We were kind of going with the flow at this stage but at this point, it already felt that we were a bit of an afterthought, let's say," Lee added.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

They are not an afterthought starch; they are structural.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

Almost as an afterthought, she adds, “Something to do with getting your grandfather from the police.”

From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm