in retrospect
With hindsight now
In retrospect means looking back on something after it has happened, with the benefit of hindsight: In retrospect, I should have taken the job.
The phrase typically introduces a reassessment—what seemed right at the time now appears differently.
It was, in retrospect, a terrible decision.
- hindsightRecognition after the fact
- afterthoughtIdea added belatedly
- looking backRecalling what happened before
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- postmortemExamination after death
with the benefit of hindsight · review · reflection · nostalgia · evaluation · recollection · diary · analysis · reassessment · regret · flashback · years later · historical perspective · journal · judgment · lessons · wiser · remorse
- introspectionself-examination, self-reflection, self-awareness, self-analysis, soul searching
- nostalgianostalgia, nostalgic, memories, memory, remember
- summariessummary, synopsis, summaries, abstract, abstracts
in retrospectlooking ahead
Considering future events
looking forward · prospectively · in advance · beforehand · ex ante
in retrospectin advance
Occurring before required
beforehand · at the time · in the moment · a priori · ahead of time
in retrospectspeculatively
In a theorizing manner
hypothetically · predictively · conjecturally · provisionally · tentatively
retro, introspection, retrospect, introspective, retrospective, introspect, retrospection, retrospectively, retrospects