retrospect

Intermediatezipf 3.29

Pronunciation

/ˈrɛtrəspɛkt/(RET-ruh-spekt)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

回顾；回想

Definition

A survey or review of past events or situations, especially when one can now see things differently.

Word family

  • retrospective/ˌrɛtrəˈspɛktɪv/(adj/n)回顾的
  • retrospectively(adv)

Collocations

  • in retrospect
  • with retrospect
  • retrospective view
  • retrospective exhibition
  • retrospective analysis

Examples

  1. 1.In retrospect, taking that job was the best decision of my career, though it didn't seem so at the time. (looking back)
  2. 2.The museum held a retrospective of the artist's fifty-year career. (review of past work)

Synonyms

  • hindsight/ˈhaɪndsaɪt/— understanding after the event — very close
  • review/rɪˈvjuː/— an examination of past events — broader
  • reflection/rɪˈflɛkʃən/— careful thought about past events

Etymology

from Latin "retrospicere" (to look back) — retro- (backward) + specere (to look) — the act of looking backward