afterthought

American  

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

noun

• afterthoughts
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• afterthoughts
  plural

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

See Examples For:

afterthought afterthoughts

Clytemnestra’s revenge, an afterthought in this hero’s journey, is central to Greek drama and classical art as an example of unequal justice.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

Historically, chicken was a bit of an afterthought in fast food.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Over the next 18 months, memory went from an afterthought to one of the AI boom’s biggest bottlenecks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

Family structure should be a standard reporting category alongside race, poverty and disability—not an afterthought.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Then this afterthought: ‘They sure didn’t get their brains from us.’

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

So these are not just sort of weird random afterthoughts or vestiges.

From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026

Except the Patriots are hardly alone in their journey from early-season afterthoughts to division leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025

Following his death, some wondered if he had wound up in a rough-and-tumble league where skill and technique are afterthoughts.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2023

The inclusion only continued from there, making it clear that these characters weren't just afterthoughts but carefully considered forethoughts.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2023

He ate hot eggs, warm bread, reveled in steaming tea, although the water from which the tea was made left an aftertaste in the mouth, afterthoughts in the brain: from what nearby bam?

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara