retrospective

1 of 2

adjective

ret·​ro·​spec·​tive ˌre-trə-ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce retrospective (audio)
1
a(1)
: of, relating to, or given to retrospection
(2)
: based on memory
a retrospective report
b
: being a retrospective
a retrospective exhibition
2
: affecting things past : retroactive
retrospective laws
3
: relating to or being a study (as of a disease) that starts with the present condition of a population of individuals and collects data about their past history to explain their present condition
retrospectively adverb

retrospective

2 of 2

noun

: a generally comprehensive exhibition, compilation, or performance of the work of an artist over a span of years
broadly : review sense 7a
a retrospective of 20th century haute couture

Did you know?

At the end of the year, both introspection and retrospection are common. While introspection involves looking inward and taking stock of oneself, retrospection is all about recollecting and contemplating things that happened in the past. A look back at the history of the related adjective retrospective reveals that it retains a strong connection to its past; its Latin source is retrospicere, meaning “to look back at.” Retrospective can also be used as a noun referring to an exhibition that “looks back” at an artist’s work created over a span of years. Once you have retrospective and retrospection behind you, you can also add their kin retrospect and retro to your vocabulary, too.

Examples of retrospective in a Sentence

Adjective They issued a retrospective report. a retrospective analysis of what went wrong The museum is having a retrospective exhibit of the artist's early works. Noun The museum is featuring a retrospective of Picasso's early works.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Cinema chain Alamo Drafthouse is launching Alamo Time Capsules, a retrospective film series, to kick off the new year. Valerie Wu, Variety, 3 Jan. 2024 Of the 1968 Sketchpad GUI design, Sutherland once again remembered his interactions with Wesley Clark, and expressed some retrospective realizations. John Werner, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Decisions have shifted from an annual retrospective reporting capability to a dynamic prospective decision intelligence approach, linking strategic choices with operational decisions and seeking to enhance our feedback loop. Paul Hudson, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024 But what a glorious pair of retrospective performances those Mitchell and Chapman segments were. Chris Willman, Variety, 5 Feb. 2024 Chopra, who moves from the sports world to music with this, originally envisioned the six-hour doc as a retrospective complete with tons of archival footage and interviews with the group. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024 The evening also marked the post-pandemic return of Alan Pepe Communications’ retrospective screening events. Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Feb. 2024 This observation led her to conduct a retrospective epidemiological study, which documented that blindness among blacks was double that among whites. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 2 Feb. 2024 The superstar kicked off the U.S. leg of her retrospective tour at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 13 close to 11 p.m. — several hours after doors opened. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2024
Noun
These pieces highlight a career-spanning retrospective of a groundbreaking composer, one whose music embodies the collision between the overwhelming sounds of the Bolivian mountains and the modern cities that thrive beside them. Javier Rodríguez-Camacho, SPIN, 7 Mar. 2024 In a conversation that touched on all three plays, Shanley revealed that the accidental retrospective isn’t the only reason his life has been flashing before his eyes recently. Darryn King, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 At Jean-Kenta Gauthier gallery, in Paris, a recent three-part series of exhibitions amounted to something like a retrospective. Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 8 Feb. 2024 On the centenary of his death in 1983 the Metropolitan Museum hosted the largest Manet retrospective ever held in the United States, with nearly one hundred paintings. Sam Needleman, The New York Review of Books, 6 Jan. 2024 Throughout the retrospective, the curators have sprinkled in work by other artists. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024 But Usher decided to do a retrospective of his long and accomplished career and who can blame him. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024 Jia, a leading figure in independent Chinese cinema, will present a masterclass exploring his body of work, and a retrospective of his films will run throughout the edition. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Jan. 2024 Although the series is over, most of the titles can be streamed on Criterion, which offered their own retrospective earlier this month. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retrospective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of retrospective was in 1664

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Dictionary Entries Near retrospective

Cite this Entry

“Retrospective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/retrospective. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

retrospective

1 of 2 adjective
ret·​ro·​spec·​tive ˌre-trə-ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce retrospective (audio)
: of, relating to, or given to retrospection
retrospectively adverb

retrospective

2 of 2 noun
: an exhibition, compilation, or performance of work that an artist has done in the past

Medical Definition

retrospective

adjective
ret·​ro·​spec·​tive -ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce retrospective (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or given to introspection
b
: relating to or being a study (as of a disease) that starts with the present condition of a population of individuals and collects data about their past history to explain their present condition compare prospective
2
: based on memory
retrospectively adverb

Legal Definition

retrospective

adjective
ret·​ro·​spec·​tive ˈre-trə-ˌspek-tiv How to pronounce retrospective (audio)
: affecting things past : retroactive
specifically : of, relating to, or being a law that takes away or impairs vested rights, creates new duties or obligations, or attaches new disabilities with respect to acts and transactions completed before its enactment
retrospectively adverb
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