retrospective
directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc.
looking or directed backward.
retroactive, as a statute.
an art exhibit showing an entire phase or representative examples of an artist's lifework.
any exhibition or series of showings or performances, as of musical works or motion pictures, representing the work of an artist or performer over all or a major part of a career: a retrospective of John Ford's movies.
Origin of retrospective
1Other words from retrospective
- ret·ro·spec·tive·ly, adverb
- ret·ro·spec·tive·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use retrospective in a sentence
It is unnecessary to add that the principle of the non-retrospectiveness of laws is altogether unknown to it.
Boer Politics | Yves Guyot
British Dictionary definitions for retrospective
/ (ˌrɛtrəʊˈspɛktɪv) /
looking or directed backwards, esp in time; characterized by retrospection
applying to the past; retroactive
an exhibition of an artist's life's work or a representative selection of it
Derived forms of retrospective
- retrospectively, adverb
- retrospectiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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