retrospect
gb/ɹˈɛtɹəspˌɛkt/ us/ɹˈɛtɹəspˌɛkt/
C1
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
Nom
formal
C1
process
1
looking back on the past
thinking about something that happened in the past
Schéma d’usage :
(often) in retrospect; a retrospect on/of [event/period]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often use *retrospect* where *retrospective* (adjective) is needed (e.g., a retrospective view).
Synonymes
reflection (More general; can be about any topic, not only the past.)
|
hindsight (Emphasizes understanding something clearly only after it happened.)
Antonymes
foresight (Thinking ahead about the future, not back at the past.)
|
anticipation (Expecting something before it happens.)
Collocations
in retrospect
|with the benefit of retrospect
|a retrospect on the decade
|a retrospect of the war years
|in retrospect, it seems
|looking back in retrospect
|a brief retrospect
|a personal retrospect
|historical retrospect
|retrospect and evaluation
Thèmes
thinking
|time
|emotions
Exemples
- In retrospect, I should have asked more questions before I accepted the offer.
- The book is a candid retrospect on her early years in politics.
- His speech included a short retrospect of the company’s first decade.
Exemples pédagogiques
- In retrospect, that was a good decision.
- She wrote a retrospect about her childhood.
Verbe
literary
C2
action
2
think back on past events
to think about the past
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] retrospect(s) on [event/period]
Erreur fréquente :
This verb is rare in modern English; people usually say *reflect (on)* or *look back (on)* instead.
Synonymes
reflect (Much more common and natural in everyday English.)
|
look back (More conversational; often used in spoken English.)
Antonymes
look ahead (Focuses on the future rather than the past.)
Collocations
retrospect on the past
|retrospect about earlier years
|retrospected on his mistakes
Thèmes
thinking
|time
Exemples
- In later life, she often retreated to the garden to retrospect on her choices.
- He retrospected on his first years as a teacher with a mix of pride and regret.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
retrospect
API
GB/ɹˈɛtɹəspˌɛkt/
US/ɹˈɛtɹəspˌɛkt/
Syllabes et accentuation
ret - ro - spect (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (ret)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: retrospect
- Plural: retrospect
Verb
- Base: retrospect
- 3rd Person Singular: retrospects
- Present Participle: retrospecting
- Past: retrospected
Expressions
in retrospect
1/ˈɪn ɹˈɛtɹəspˌɛkt/
fixed phrase
looking back and rethinking
when you think about the past now
Exemples
- In retrospect, the warning signs were obvious.
- It felt like a disaster at the time, but in retrospect it taught me a lot.
- In retrospect, we should have taken the earlier flight.
in retrospect
1/ˈɪn ɹˈɛtɹəspˌɛkt/
fixed phrase
thinking back with hindsight
now, looking back at the past
Exemples
- In retrospect, I should have asked more questions before agreeing.
- It seemed like a good idea then, but in retrospect it was a mistake.
- In retrospect, the warning signs were obvious.