retrospective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Campaigner Sherrie Smith, who founded Gypsy and Travellers Essex, pointed out that people felt they had no choice but to build plots unlawfully and then seek retrospective planning permission later.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Samples from athletes are kept for 10 years to allow for retrospective testing when new techniques emerge.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

"Our retrospective study findings warrant further testing in larger populations, particularly in people before they show symptoms," Zaret said.

From Science Daily • Mar. 23, 2026

MoMA’s show also nods to its own history with the power couple: Rivera received the museum’s second-ever retrospective in 1931, after Henri Matisse, and Kahlo entered the collection in 1943.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Likewise, the celebrated rationality of the fifth century represents a retrospective bleaching of what was actually a complex and contested story.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro