retrospective

adjective

Definition of retrospectivenext
as in philosophical
given to or marked by reflection of the past Her book takes a retrospective look at the actor's long and distinguished career.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of retrospective Lifetime Achievement Recognizing an influential living artist having a retrospective or survey exhibition at a major US museum. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 But traditional accounting relationships tend to be retrospective. — Bas Kniphorst, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 While developing her next feature, Coppola has spent this retrospective year taking stock, watching with a familiar pride as her own children pursue creative paths. — Ben Croll, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026 Anderson will walk in the footsteps of his predecessor John Galliano, who was Dior’s creative director from 1996 to 2011 and presented a cruise show in Shanghai in 2010, in tandem with a store opening and a retrospective exhibition. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for retrospective
Recent Examples of Synonyms for retrospective
  1. philosophical
  2. nostalgic
  3. introspective
  4. analytic
  5. thoughtful
  6. reflective
Adjective
  • The team works with local hospitals to negotiate special rates for their patients who are Amish or members of the broader Plain community, a group whose philosophical beliefs keep them from enrolling in formal health insurance plans.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • After Ted arrives and Roy departs, Ted and Rebecca have their own, more philosophical heart-to-heart about how being messy is part of being alive.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of philosophical
Adjective
  • The restaurant, located in the city's SoHo neighborhood, features upscale takes on nostalgic classics like pizza rolls, French dip and lobster frites.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • With the benefit of hindsight, music journalists are now waxing nostalgic about more recent eras.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of nostalgic
Adjective
  • Those garlands of noise suggest that this show will be geared more toward communal arena rock than introspective bedroom pop.
    — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
  • About four years after sharing her last full-length album, Dirt Femme, her first since marrying husband Charlie Twaddle in 2020, the Swedish pop star, 38, is back with an introspective new body of work, Estrus, out now.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of introspective
Adjective
  • The old hand-off between operational and analytical data must therefore become a closed loop, with sensing, inference and execution happening in near real time.
    — Richard Clough, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Federal staff also completed an audit in September on an advanced analytical model for seismic assessment.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of analytic
Adjective
  • The service Enthusiastic, thoughtful, and caring, the service here is warm and heartfelt.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • As Toby Ziegler and Josiah Bartlett could tell you, the only way to change is the world is with a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of thoughtful
Adjective
  • This in-shower treatment smooths the cuticle for reflective, glass-like shine, leaving strands softer, silkier, and ultra-glossy in just one minute.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 6 Oct. 2026
  • De Baise explained that this is reflective of a popular footwear trend of the ’90s, a decade Vaccarello is widely known to be aesthetically attached to.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of reflective

Browse Nearby Words

retrospections
retrospective
retrospects
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Cite this Entry

“Retrospective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/retrospective. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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