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

But in retrospect I don’t think it was all that bad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

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

But we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, so, in retrospect, who cares?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Was it an insensitive thing to say, in retrospect?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

But in retrospect, he was upset at having passed on the chance to acquire a portion of that $5 million purse in 1975.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady