Retrospect

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛtɹəˌspɛkt/

Definitions

1. Looking back on past events or situations with the benefit of hindsight and current knowledge
2. Examining past occurrences or experiences while considering new insights and understanding gained over time
3. Reflecting on previous events with a critical perspective influenced by later developments and insights

Etymology: "Retrospect" came into English from Latin "retrōspectum," the supine form of "retrōspicere," meaning "to look back at." The Latin verb is built from "retro-," "backward," and "specere," "to look," the same root that gives English "spectacle," "inspect," and "spectator." So at its core the word is simply a picture of turning one's head to see what has already passed. For most of its history the English noun carried that literal sense of looking back over a stretch of time, and the phrase "in retrospect" still reads as a gaze cast over the past. The verb "to retrospect" followed the same path, meaning to look back on something. The sense of judging the past in light of what came afterward is what the word is now most associated with, and it fits the Latin image well: you cannot look back without seeing the past from the vantage point of the present.

Synonyms: review, reflection, recollection

Antonyms: foresight