retrospectively

American  

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

adverb

1. with contemplation of past situations, events, etc..

   You should examine your relationship retrospectively.

2. with retrospective effect; retroactively.

   The law operates retrospectively.

---

Etymology

Origin of retrospectively

First recorded in 1600–10; retrospective ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

---

Explanation

Doing something retrospectively means being conscious of what happened previously, or applying something new to past events. When you retrospectively comment on blog posts, you go back and comment on old articles. If you speak retrospectively, you talk about past events, and if a museum retrospectively honors an artist, it often displays work stretching back through her entire career. If your raise at work applies retrospectively, that means you'll get additional pay from days you worked in the past, as well as the future. The Latin root of retrospectively is retrospicere, "look back."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retrospectively

He also added that it would "apply retrospectively" from that date onwards, even though the law at the time, and indeed now, has not yet changed.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

They can’t pretend that speeding through the breeze could liberate them from day-to-day life, and the singer asks, retrospectively, “Do you look forward to the past / Or forward to today?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

The policy was scrapped in 2023 but the UK government said it would not be applied retrospectively.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Buckle hopes that any change will be applied retrospectively to include him and others who have been affected, and restore his faith in the criminal justice system.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Even Lavoisier did not understand oxygen properly: discovery is often an extended process, and one that can be identified only retrospectively.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---