flashback
- 01 B1 Intermediate
a scene in a movie or book that shows something that happened in the past.
a narrative device that interrupts the chronological flow of a story to depict events that occurred at an earlier time.
Simple“The movie uses a flashback to show how the two main characters first met in college.”
In context“The director employs a series of black-and-white flashbacks to provide essential context for the protagonist's current motivations.”
SynonymsretrospectionbackstoryAntonymsflash forward - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a sudden and very clear memory of a bad event from the past that feels like it is happening again.
a vivid, involuntary recurrence of a past traumatic experience, often accompanied by intense emotional or physical distress.
Simple“The loud noise gave the soldier a flashback to his time in the war.”
In context“Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder may suffer from intrusive flashbacks that make it difficult to distinguish the present from past trauma.”
Synonymsre experiencingrecollection - 03 C1 Advanced
feeling the effects of a drug again, long after you have stopped taking it.
the recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic substance, such as LSD, well after the initial pharmacological effects have subsided.
Simple“He experienced a strange flashback several months after he had stopped using the drug.”
In context“Clinical literature describes drug-induced flashbacks as spontaneous sensory distortions that can occur without warning during periods of sobriety.”
“Flashbacks to 15 years earlier show what happened after the night they were taken from their parents.”
“A woman described suffering horrific flashbacks and claimed it had taken 40 minutes for a fire engine to respond to her emergency call.”
From flash + back.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.