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 government is looking at strengthening national planning policy on "intentional unauthorised development", particularly for retrospective planning applications.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Alan Greenspan was revered in the 1980s and 1990s for supporting the stock market, but retrospective views cloud his legacy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

In the galleries, more than 200 pieces of production art and films will be presented in conjunction with a theatrical retrospective of animated shorts and features.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

It is not retrospective, meaning PC Harper's killers cannot have their sentences extended.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Likewise, the celebrated rationality of the fifth century represents a retrospective bleaching of what was actually a complex and contested story.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

“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

Barzman continued to work and contribute to blacklist retrospectives well into her 90s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2024

Calder — once called America’s most beloved sculptor — won widespread acclaim during his lifetime, with major New York museums like MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Whitney mounting retrospectives when he was still alive.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

By the early 1970s he was organizing as many as 800 programs there each year, from Preston Sturges retrospectives to programs of Russian silent films, new German cinema and movies from Senegal.

From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 2023

Related Words

• reflective