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, she says, it was "like a ticking time bomb."
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
In retrospect, Pacala told ProPublica and Drilled, Mottershead contributed to the paper’s style and presentation but not to its original scientific ideas.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
Overuse of today’s AI models isn’t going to lead to a massive plume of radioactive fallout, but it could have a number of far-reaching consequences that will seem obvious in retrospect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
In retrospect, it’s clear to right-hander Tyler Glasnow that he tried to start throwing a little too quickly after back spasms pulled him out of his start against the Astros on May 6.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Against his bleak forecasting is set my mother’s cheerfulness, in retrospect profoundly willed.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
