retrospective

[ re-truh-spek-tiv ]

/ ˌrɛ trəˈspɛk tɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR retrospective ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc.

looking or directed backward.

retroactive, as a statute.

noun

an art exhibit showing an entire phase or representative examples of an artist's lifework.

any exhibition or series of showings or performances, as of musical works or motion pictures, representing the work of an artist or performer over all or a major part of a career: a retrospective of John Ford's movies.

Nearby words

retroserrate, retroserrulate, retrosexual, retrospect, retrospection, retrospective, retrospective falsification, retrospectively, retrospondylolisthesis, retroussage, retroussé

Origin of retrospective

First recorded in 1655–65; retrospect + -ive

Related forms

ret·ro·spec·tive·ly, adverbret·ro·spec·tive·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for retrospective

In 1980, a retrospective of the artist at the Museum of Modern Art in New York captivated Hockney.
The Many Lives of Artist David Hockney|William O’Connor|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To celebrate a retrospective box set, entitled Nothing Has Changed, Bowie has released a video for one of two new songs included.
David Bowie Goes Big Band in New Music Video|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“When Tibor died we did a retrospective of MCo., and the lamp was the last thing you saw,” she says.
The Singular Artist of New Yorkistan|Lizzie Crocker|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Frank Gehry is enjoying a major moment: his retrospective is in full swing in Paris and his latest creation opens today.
Frank Gehry Is Architecture’s Mad Genius|Sarah Moroz|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

So what better way to craft that reminder than with a retrospective of famous, dead figures who defined Ukrainian identity?
The Ukrainian Face Collector Launches an Exhibition in Kiev|Nina Strochlic|August 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It must have been at about this time that Mary wrote the sad, retrospective poem entitled “The Choice.”
The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume II (of 2)|Florence A. Thomas Marshall
She then gave the retrospective account of the onset detailed above.
Benign Stupors|August Hoch
I had surely caught the retrospective reflex note, heard first in his voice, recognized in hers.
Essays|Alice Meynell
No Retrospective rake should anticipate our privileges of quotation.
The Book Lovers' Anthology|Various
He had an extraordinarily mournful voice, and a retrospective melancholy of manner.
Romance|Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

British Dictionary definitions for retrospective

retrospective

/ (ˌrɛtrəʊˈspɛktɪv) /

adjective

looking or directed backwards, esp in time; characterized by retrospection

applying to the past; retroactive

noun

an exhibition of an artist's life's work or a representative selection of it

Derived Forms

retrospectively, adverbretrospectiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012