retrospect
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.the act of thinking about a past event, often realizing something you did not know at the time.
n.a review or meditation on past events. Almost exclusively used in the prepositional phrase 'in retrospect'.
Simple“In retrospect, I should have saved more money when I was younger.”
In context“In retrospect, the warning signs were clearly visible, yet the administration chose to ignore the mounting evidence of a fiscal crisis.”
UsageCommonly functions as a sentence adverbial in the fixed phrase 'in retrospect'.
PitfallBy retrospect, I should have taken the job. In retrospect, I should have taken the job.The standard English idiom is 'in retrospect', not 'by' or 'with'.
Synonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
v.to look back at or think about things that happened in the past.
v.to refer back to or reflect upon past events. This verbal use is significantly less common than the noun form.
Simple“It is helpful to retrospect on your successes at the end of the year.”
In context“The author tends to retrospect upon his childhood with a mixture of nostalgia and profound regret.”
UsageOften takes the preposition 'on' or 'upon' when used intransitively.
“The challenge is to make us feel Kyle’s loss while telling (never really showing) his story in retrospect and to round out his character largely through others’ reminiscences.”
“In retrospect, the experience was “hell and a nightmare”, she says.”
Borrowed from Latin retrōspectum, from retrōspicio (“to look back at”), equivalent to retro- + -spect. Compare review.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.