ret·ro·spect
ˈre-trə-ˌspekt 
1
: a review of or meditation on past events
2
archaic
: reference to or regard of a precedent or authority
retrospected; retrospecting; retrospects
: to go back over in thought
Synonyms
Examples of retrospect in a Sentence
Noun
in retrospect, we should have saved more money for college
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 14 June 2024
In retrospect, there were signs of brewing right-wing resistance all along.
—Fabiola Cineas, Vox, 3 June 2024
Mark Gimein, theweek, 19 Feb. 2024
Yet even if the interdiction on restaurants was, in retrospect, excessive, no one could have known that then.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
See all Example Sentences for retrospect 
Noun
His parting comments, in retrospect, were early warning flares about the next market crisis, the bursting of the subprime mortgage bubble that sent stocks plunging and triggered a global financial meltdown beginning in 2007.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 14 June 2024
In retrospect, there were signs of brewing right-wing resistance all along.
—Fabiola Cineas, Vox, 3 June 2024
Adjective
But in retrospect Varsity Blues feels like a turning point.
—Mark Gimein, theweek, 19 Feb. 2024
Yet even if the interdiction on restaurants was, in retrospect, excessive, no one could have known that then.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
Verb
In retrospect the unfolding of Watergate in the press and the courts and Congress is our American Oresteia.
—Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
See all Example Sentences for retrospect
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retrospect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near retrospect
Cite this Entry
“Retrospect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrospect. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share