adj
Meaning 1
Of, relating to, or contemplating the past.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
retrospective
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.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹɛt.ɹə(ʊ)ˈspɛk.tɪv/
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Received-Pronunciation: [ˌɹɛt͡ʃ.ə(ʊ)ˈspɛk.tɪv]
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UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Canada, General-American: /ˌɹɛt.ɹəˈspɛk.tɪv/
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Canada, General-American: [ˌɹɛt͡ʃ.əˈspɛk.tɪv]
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Canada, General-American: /ˌɹɛt.ɹoʊˈspɛk.tɪv/
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Canada, General-American: [ˌɹɛt͡ʃ.oʊˈspɛk.tɪv]
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Australian: /ˌɹet.ɹəˈspek.tɪv/
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Australian: [ˌɹet͡ʃ.əˈspek.tɪv]
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New-Zealand: /ˌɹet.ɹəˈspek.təv/
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New-Zealand: [ˌɹet͡ʃ.əˈspek.təv]
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rhymes with -ɛktɪv
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CMU ARPABET: R EH2 T R AH0 S P EH1 K T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Looking backwards.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Affecting or influencing past things; retroactive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
An exhibition of works from an extended period of an artist's activity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 5
concerned with or related to the past
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- retrospective self-justification
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: prospective
noun
Meaning 6
an exhibition of a representative selection of an artist's life work
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: art exhibition
History
Etymology
From retrospect + -ive. From Latin retrōspectus, perfect passive participle of retrōspiciō (“to look back at”).
Across languages
Translations
39 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: متعلِّق بالماضي — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Arabic: رَجْعِيّ (rajʕiyy) — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Armenian: հետադարձ (hetadarj) — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Catalan: retrospectiu — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Chinese Mandarin: 懷舊的 /怀旧的 (huáijiù de) — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- French: rétrospectif — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- German: rückblickend — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- German: rückschauend — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Indonesian: kenangan kembali — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Italian: retrospettivo — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Polish: retrospektywny — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Polish: retrospekcyjny — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Portuguese: retrospectivo — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Portuguese: retrospetivo — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Romanian: retrospectiv — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Spanish: retrospectivo — of, relating to, or contemplating the past
- Armenian: հետադարձ (hetadarj) — looking backwards
- Chinese Mandarin: 回顧的 /回顾的 (huígù de) — looking backwards
- German: zurückblickend — looking backwards
- Indonesian: pandangan balik — looking backwards
- Irish: aisbhreathnaitheach — looking backwards
- Irish: iardhearcach — looking backwards
- Kazakh: өткенді шолатын (ötkendı şolatyn) — looking backwards
- Kazakh: ретроспективті (retrospektivtı) — looking backwards
- Kazakh: ретроспективтік (retrospektivtık) — looking backwards
- Polish: retrospektywny — looking backwards
- Polish: retrospekcyjny — looking backwards
- Russian: ретроспектива (retrospektiva) — looking backwards
- Armenian: հետադարձ (hetadarj) — affecting or influencing past things; retroactive
- German: rückwirkend — affecting or influencing past things; retroactive
- Irish: cúlghabhálach — affecting or influencing past things; retroactive
- Irish: siarghabhálach — affecting or influencing past things; retroactive
- Polish: retrospektywny — affecting or influencing past things; retroactive
- Polish: retrospekcyjny — affecting or influencing past things; retroactive
- Catalan: retrospectiva — exhibition of works
- German: Retrospektive — exhibition of works
- Italian: retrospettiva — exhibition of works
- Polish: retrospektywa — exhibition of works
- Spanish: retrospectiva — exhibition of works
Real reading context