afterthought

American  

[af-ter-thawt, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌθɔt, ˈɑf- /

noun

afterthoughts plural

1. a later or second thought; reconsideration.

2. reflection after an act; an appropriate explanation, answer, expedient, or the like, conceived of too late for the occasion.

3. something added, as a part or feature, that was not included in the original plan or design.

   The vestry was added to the church as an afterthought.

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afterthought British  

/ ˈɑːftəˌθɔːt /

noun

1. a comment, reply, etc, that occurs to one after the opportunity to deliver it has passed

2. an addition to something already completed

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• afterthoughts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of afterthought

First recorded in 1655–65; after + thought ¹

Explanation

An afterthought is something you think of or add later. You might quickly wrap a gift and then stick a bow on it as an afterthought just before you hand it to the birthday boy. Sometimes calling something an afterthought is a bit of an insult — a movie reviewer might complain that female characters seem added on as afterthoughts, or a diner at a fancy restaurant could note that while the meat is well-cooked, the vegetables are nothing but an afterthought. This word has been used since the 1600s, a compound of after and thought.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

afterthought afterthoughts

Johnson insists that the money is an afterthought.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

But some traders have told BBC News NI that the site has become rundown and an "afterthought" for the council.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

"She lives with the fear that that might happen again, but she's speaking on behalf of all victims and survivors who feel that they are always an afterthought," Oliver said.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

America needs policies that favor U.S. cattle and ranchers — instead of treating them as an afterthought.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

“If you don’t get lost,” she added as an afterthought.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers

Those in-between spaces, so often treated as afterthoughts, became one of the emotional centers of his work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

The viewer’s in for an unexpected twist, too, seeing as all of these characters but Rachel will soon be afterthoughts, tossed aside to maintain a constant laser focus on Marty’s hijinks.

From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2025

While most teams have historically treated these set pieces as afterthoughts, Arsenal has turned them into a hack—and then turned that hack into its whole identity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025

Following his death, some wondered if he had wound up in a rough-and-tumble league where skill and technique are afterthoughts.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2023

He ate hot eggs, warm bread, reveled in steaming tea, although the water from which the tea was made left an aftertaste in the mouth, afterthoughts in the brain: from what nearby bam?

From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara