retrospective

American  

[re-truh-spek-tiv] / ˌrɛ trəˈspɛk tɪv /

adjective

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

2. looking or directed backward.

3. retroactive, as a statute.

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noun

• retrospectives
  plural

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

2. 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.

retrospective British  

/ ˌrɛtrəʊˈspɛktɪv /

adjective

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

2. applying to the past; retroactive

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retrospectiveness
  noun
• retrospectively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• retrospectives
  plural

Etymology

Origin of retrospective

First recorded in 1655–65; retrospect + -ive

Explanation

Retrospective means looking back. An art exhibit that cover an artist's entire career is called a retrospective because it looks back at the work the artist has produced over many years. Retro- means back, -spect- means look (think: spectacles), so the word means literally 'a looking back.' Many people take a retrospective look at their lives on birthdays or on New Year's Eve to evaluate events and see how well they've met their goals. You could call the yearly evaluation you get from your boss a retrospective review of your work.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retrospective retrospectives

The director had the same feelings two years ago, at LACMA’s Ruscha retrospective.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

"Nirvana continues to resonate so deeply because people are still hungry for authenticity," bass player Krist Novoselic said after a video retrospective of the band's videos.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

The findings come from a large retrospective analysis of patient health records, supported by experiments involving human brain tissue and mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

Some will ask that if retrospective action is applied to City, should the same not happen to Chelsea?

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Tonight, she just made sure the film was set for the eight o’clock entry in the Winona Ryder retrospective before carefully ducking out.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

“Confessions II” features intimate retrospectives of Madonna’s career and personal life — rare, clear-eyed visits to the past from an artist who has always preferred to keep her eyes on the future.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

As exhibitions, books and retrospectives built his renown, Hockney increasingly relied on travel—to Paris and elsewhere—so he could work undisturbed before friends and others crowded his schedule.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Their December lineup includes a spotlight on Parker Posey; retrospectives dedicated to Yasujiro Ozu and Ousmane Sembène; and some holiday noir, MGM musicals and “Hitchcock for the Holidays.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Perhaps this is part of why the last decade has brought a revival of Hassinger’s work, including two retrospectives, new commissions and the acquisition of her archive by the Getty Research Institute.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2023

By the 2000s, Ms. Steiner found her work the subject of career retrospectives at the Leica Gallery in New York, the PhotoAlicante art festival in Spain and elsewhere.

From New York Times ● Jun. 18, 2023

Related Words

• reflective