retrospect
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
verb
-
to contemplate (anything past); look back on (something)
-
to refer
Etymology
Origin of retrospect
1595–1605; probably retro- + (pro)spect
Explanation
In retrospect — that is, in looking back and contemplating the past — we sometimes find ourselves wishing that we had done some things differently. Though this word most commonly appears as a noun in the phrase "in retrospect," it can also be used as a verb. The prefix retro- means “back," and spect is a component of the words inspect, spectator, spectacles, and perspective, among others, which all have to do with looking or seeing. So it makes sense that retrospect means to look back in time, or to remember.
Vocabulary lists containing retrospect
Wonder
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Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In retrospect, though, the president’s post was likely part of the gambit, helping him slip away aboard an entirely different plane.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
In retrospect, there were signs that the market was headed for an abrupt turn.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
“These incidents will probably, in retrospect, be seen as inflection points in the ways that attackers operate,” said Joshua Saxe, the chief technology officer with the AI security company Abundant Security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
She continued that she had realized, in retrospect, that the third offer came when it was supposed to come.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
I thought Jesse was happy, though in retrospect, the signs were there that he was going to fall apart.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
