Afterthink

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A reflection or idea that comes to mind only after an event has passed ; to go over a matter again once more time has elapsed
2. An afterthought that arrives belatedly, once the moment for action is gone ; the act of pondering something anew at a later point
3. A belated thought or notion occurring after the fact ; a process of mulling over a decision again in hindsight

Etymology: "Afterthink" is a compound of "after" and "think", and its most striking feature is what it was built to translate. It is probably a calque of Ancient Greek "metanoia", a word whose literal sense is a change of mind or a turning around. Early English writers reaching for a way to render the New Testament's call to repentance borrowed the structure of that Greek term and assembled it from native parts, so that the idea of rethinking one's conduct came out as a later, reflective thought. The construction tells the story plainly. "After" in the sense of "subsequent" or "behind in time" pairs with "think" to describe a second, revised thought that follows an earlier one, which is exactly the logic of the Greek original. Because the word is a translation device rather than an everyday coinage, its meaning stays close to the sense of regret and reconsideration it was meant to carry.

Synonyms: rethink, reconsider, afterthought

Antonyms: anticipate, foresee