Standard Lemma guide

aftermath

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈæf.tɚˌmæθ/
  • UK: /ˈɑːf.təˌmæθ/
  • UK: /ˈɑːf.təˌmɑːθ/
  • UK: /ˈæf.təˌmæθ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AE1 F T ER0 M AE2 TH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

That which happens after, that which follows, usually of strongly negative connotation in most contexts, implying a preceding catastrophe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • In contrast to most projections of the aftermath of nuclear war, in this there is no rioting or looting.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lattermath

Antonyms: foremath, beforemath

2

noun

Meaning 2

A second mowing; the grass which grows after the first crop of hay in the same season.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Topics: agriculture, business, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lattermath, rowen

Antonyms: foremath, beforemath

3

noun

Meaning 3

the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: consequence

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: result, resultant, final result, outcome, termination

Narrower terms: corollary, deserts, comeuppance, comeupance, fruit, sequella, train, wages, reward, payoff

4

noun

Meaning 4

the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the aftermath of war
  • in the wake of the accident no one knew how many had been injured

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: wake, backwash

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: consequence, effect, outcome, result, event, issue, upshot

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ep Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *h2epó Proto-Indo-European *-teros Proto-Indo-European *h2ep(o)teros Proto-Germanic *after Old English æfter Middle English after English after ▲ Old English æfter Old English æfter- Middle English after- English after- English math English aftermath From after- + math (“a mowing”).

Across languages

Translations

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: أَعْقَاب (ʔaʕqāb) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Armenian: հետեւանքներ (hetewankʻner) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Armenian: հետագա զարգացումներ (hetaga zargacʻumner) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Azerbaijani: aqibət — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Azerbaijani: sonuc — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Belarusian: насту́пства (nastúpstva) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Bulgarian: после́дствие (poslédstvie) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Bulgarian: после́дица (poslédica) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Chinese Mandarin: 後果 /后果 (hòuguǒ) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Chinese Mandarin: 結果 /结果 (jiéguǒ) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Chinese Mandarin: 餘波 /余波 (yúbō) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Czech: důsledek — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Czech: následek — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Dutch: nasleep — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Esperanto: postfojno — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Finnish: jälkivaikutus — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Finnish: jälkiseuraus — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Finnish: jälki — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Finnish: jäljet — that which happens after, that which follows
  • French: séquelles — that which happens after, that which follows
  • French: contrecoup — that which happens after, that which follows
  • French: impact — that which happens after, that which follows
  • French: dégâts — that which happens after, that which follows
  • German: Nachwirkung — that which happens after, that which follows
  • German: Folge — that which happens after, that which follows
  • German: Nachwehen — that which happens after, that which follows
  • German: Nachspiel — that which happens after, that which follows
  • German: Folgezeit — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Greek: συνέπεια (synépeia) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Greek: επακόλουθο (epakóloutho) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Hungarian: következmény — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Hungarian: utóhatás — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Hungarian: utóélet — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Hungarian: utózönge — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Irish: iarmhairt — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Irish: toradh — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Italian: conseguenze — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Italian: strascico — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Japanese: 余波 (yoha) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Japanese: 結果 (kekka) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Korean: 여파 (yeopa) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Korean: 결과 (gyeolgwa) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Macedonian: последица (posledica) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Polish: następstwo — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Polish: pokłosie — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Portuguese: resultado — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Portuguese: rescaldo — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: consecințe — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: sechele — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: consecință — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: repercursiune — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: repercursiuni — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: impact — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: sechelă — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Romanian: urmări — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Russian: после́дствие (poslédstvije) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Slovak: dôsledok — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Slovak: následok — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Spanish: consecuencias — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Spanish: resultados — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Swedish: efterdyning — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Swedish: efterspel — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Swedish: efterräkning — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Turkish: ardından — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Turkish: sonrasında — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Ukrainian: на́слідок (náslidok) — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Walloon: shuvance — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Welsh: adladd — that which happens after, that which follows
  • Catalan: redall — second mowing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 再生草 — second mowing
  • Finnish: äpäre — second mowing
  • French: regain — second mowing
  • German: Nachmahd — second mowing
  • German: Grummet — second mowing
  • German: Zweiter Schnitt — second mowing
  • Irish: athbharr — second mowing
  • Polish: otawa — second mowing
  • Polish: potraw — second mowing
  • Russian: второ́й поко́с (vtorój pokós) — second mowing
  • Slovene: otava — second mowing
  • Swedish: efterskörd — second mowing
  • Swedish: efterslåtter — second mowing
  • Welsh: adladd — second mowing
Real reading context

aftermath in complete knowledge articles