This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
retrospective
[ re-truh-spek-tiv ]
/ ˌrɛ trəˈspɛk tɪv /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of retrospective
First recorded in 1655–65; retrospect + -ive
OTHER WORDS FROM retrospective
ret·ro·spec·tive·ly, adverbret·ro·spec·tive·ness, nounWords nearby retrospective
retroserrate, retroserrulate, retrosexual, retrospect, retrospection, retrospective, retrospectively, retroussage, retroussé, retroversion, Retrovir
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use retrospective in a sentence
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 of retrospective
retrospectively, adverbretrospectiveness, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012