afterthought
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
something added to a plan or a conversation later because it was forgotten at the start.
an item, idea, or detail added to a plan or statement subsequently, often implying it was not part of the original design.
Simple“The small balcony felt like an afterthought because it was too tiny to use.”
In context“The final chapter of the report seemed like a mere afterthought, lacking the rigorous analysis present in the earlier sections.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'as' or 'an', as in 'added as an afterthought'.
Teacher's tipThis word often carries a slightly negative nuance, suggesting that the thing was not important enough to be planned properly.
SynonymsAntonymsprioritypremeditation - 02 C1 Advanced
a thought that comes to you after you have already done or said something.
a reflection or secondary thought occurring after an action has been completed.
Simple“It was only as an afterthought that I realized I had forgotten my keys.”
In context“Upon further reflection and as a quiet afterthought, he admitted that his initial reaction had been somewhat hasty.”
Synonymsreconsiderationreview
“You don’t get a telephoto camera with Samsung’s wider foldable, but this sensor increasingly feels like an afterthought for the Ultra.”
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep(o)teros Proto-Germanic *after Old English æfter Middle English after English after ▲ Old English æfter Old English æfter- Middle English after- English after- Proto-Indo-European *teng-der. Proto-Germanic *þankijaną Proto-Germanic *þanhtaz Proto-West Germanic *þą̄ht Old English þōht Middle English thought English thought English afterthought From after- + thought, probably modelled on forethought. Compare also the verb afterthink.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.