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

Kusama's 2012 retrospective at the Tate Modern was followed by an installation of her Infinity Mirror Rooms at the same venue from 2021, which drew huge audiences and was extended several times.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“Between Panic and Paradise,” Eileen Cowin’s penetrating retrospective at LACMA, begins in the present, with large, recent color photographs and her newest work, a stirring video.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

The singer, who appeared on series one of Celebrity Traitors, applied for retrospective permission in October 2025, but that was refused.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Method Man narrates a retrospective of sneaker culture in a new campaign for Foot Locker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

But historians are nevertheless able to evaluate related hypotheses by retrospective tests.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

“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

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

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