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
Examples of retrospect in a Sentence
Noun
in retrospect, we should have saved more money for college
Recent Examples on the Web
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
There are a slew of performers who also made appearances on that show that, in retrospect, are a little surprising.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
In retrospect, this sort of experience was probably a seminal part of my generation's educational upbringing.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Mark Danner, The New York Review of Books, 1 July 2021
See All Example Sentences for retrospect
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Noun
In retrospect, a sprawling album like Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter has held up better than anyone might have thought in a year when L.A. rock was embodied by Hotel California and Running on Empty.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
There are a slew of performers who also made appearances on that show that, in retrospect, are a little surprising.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
In retrospect, that jury seemed more sympathetic to the defense’s case than the one that ultimately found Wenger guilty after less than a full day of deliberation.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
In retrospect, this sort of experience was probably a seminal part of my generation's educational upbringing.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Retrospect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrospect. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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