in retrospect

Idioms  

1. Looking backward, reflecting on the past. For example, In retrospect, he regarded his move as the best thing he'd ever done. This idiom employs retrospect in the sense of “a view of the past.” [Second half of 1600s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in retrospect

Over the years, I have come to understand that we learn our parents’ histories slowly, often in fragments, and sometimes only in retrospect.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

Haynie said that in retrospect, the school might have been better off not constructing so much simultaneously.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

“The explosion of the regional theater movement is actually, in retrospect, astonishing,” Eustis said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Was it an insensitive thing to say, in retrospect?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

I hadn’t thought so then, but in retrospect, yeah, it was weird, because the Conner of today would have made fun of me.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence