pastness
Quality of before
Pastness is the quality of belonging to or being located in the past.
The word appears mainly in philosophical and literary contexts, where writers need to discuss time's texture: The photograph had an immediate pastness, as if already a relic.
It captures not just that something happened before, but the felt sense of its temporal distance.
Of earlier times
- elapsedGone by, temporally
- expiredNo longer in effect
- foregoneAlready certain beforehand
- yesteryearTime not long past
olden · antiquated · dated · former · prior · previous · lapsed · concluded
Belonging to earlier times
- obsoleteNo longer in use
- outdatedNo longer in use
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- ancientVery old indeed
vintage · retro · prehistoric · extinct · fossilized · antique · relic · outmoded
Recalled mental image
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- recallMemory retrieval act
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
memoir · anamnesis · trace · imprint · engram · episodic · autobiographical · forgetfulness
Great age, ancient era
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- chronicleOrdered historical record
- epochDistinct historical period
- eraDistinct historical period
ancestry · legacy · tradition · civilization · dynasty · annals · genealogy · chronology
Returned light or thought
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- reviewCritical written assessment
- hindsightRecognition after the fact
reconsideration · reappraisal · rumination · musing · pondering · afterthought · postmortem
Intense prolonged craving
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
- homesicknessLonging for one's dwelling
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
sentimentality · hiraeth · pining · fondness · bittersweet · reverie · ache · regret
bygone
Of earlier times
yesteryear · olden · antiquated · dated · former · prior · previous · lapsed · concluded · finished
archaic
Belonging to earlier times
- obsoleteNo longer in use
- outdatedNo longer in use
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
ancient · vintage · retro · prehistoric · extinct · fossilized · antique · relic · outmoded · superseded
recollection
Recalled mental image
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
- flashbackInvoluntary past memory
- recallMemory retrieval act
remembrance · memoir · anamnesis · trace · imprint · engram · episodic · autobiographical · forgetfulness · amnesia
antiquity
Great age, ancient era
era · ancestry · legacy · tradition · civilization · dynasty · annals · genealogy · chronology · prehistory
reflection
Returned light or thought
- contemplationSustained reflective attention
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- reviewCritical written assessment
hindsight · reconsideration · reappraisal · rumination · musing · pondering · afterthought · postmortem
yearning
Intense prolonged craving
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
- homesicknessLonging for one's dwelling
melancholy · sentimentality · hiraeth · pining · fondness · bittersweet · reverie · ache · regret
pastnessfuturity
State of being ahead
presentness · nowness · currentness · immediacy · the present
past, passing, pasture, passed, pastime, pasty, pastor, passerby, pasts