as in philosophical
given to or marked by reflection of the past
Her book takes a retrospective look at the actor's long and distinguished career.
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Recent Examples of retrospective
Performance was managed as an operational metric, not a retrospective surprise.
—
Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
That suggests that person-to-person variability may be important, but the effect is still large enough to overcome person-to-person differences, at least in the earlier retrospective analysis.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
The retrospective exhibit places the 26,000-acre, undeveloped Georgia barrier island near Savannah among the most important artist colonies of the 20th century.
—Amy Paige Condon, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke has previously been announced as the festival’s Filmmaker in Focus, with a retrospective program and on-stage appearances planned during the event.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for retrospective
Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
That suggests that person-to-person variability may be important, but the effect is still large enough to overcome person-to-person differences, at least in the earlier retrospective analysis.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
The retrospective exhibit places the 26,000-acre, undeveloped Georgia barrier island near Savannah among the most important artist colonies of the 20th century.
—Amy Paige Condon, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke has previously been announced as the festival’s Filmmaker in Focus, with a retrospective program and on-stage appearances planned during the event.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for retrospective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrospective
Adjective
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Readers send Miss Manners not only their table and party questions, but those involving the more complicated aspects of life - romance, work, family relationships, child-rearing, death - as well as philosophical and moral dilemmas.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Mar. 2026
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And the disputes about these nitty-gritty details are philosophical as much as pragmatic.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Festival lineups are also mirroring this nostalgic feeling.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Body Mists Instead of staying stranded in nostalgic recollections of your middle school gym bag, body mists have actually grown up right alongside us.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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His struggles with alcohol, grief and finding placement for the introspective tracks that would form Empty Glass all reflected this.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2026
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Inspired by an immersion into New York City nightlife, the English songwriter embraces the sounds of dance music on a set of studied, introspective pop songs.—
Aimee Cliff,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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From an analytical perspective, Philadelphia’s offensive efficiency runs heavily through Tyrese Maxey.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Tax season, savings strategies, and investment planning are all pulling at your attention, and your analytical mind is more than capable of working through the complexity.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Wisdom, compassion, and thoughtful policy are necessary over the question of transgenderism more generally.—
Lisa Frizell,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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In addition to having more time to craft thoughtful responses, this also gives you more time to, well, live your life!—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Her portrayals – reflective of real people – will live on in television history for their honesty, wit and charm.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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Both will be surrounded by streaks of bright, reflective material that were cast out during the violent asteroid impacts that formed the craters.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Retrospective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrospective. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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