How to Use retrospective in a Sentence

retrospective

1 of 2 adjective
  • The museum is having a retrospective exhibit of the artist's early works.
  • They issued a retrospective report.
  • For her, the retrospective view is not just about legacy, but a spur to keep working.
    — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Scroll down for the full retrospective lineup.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 May 2026
  • This is far from an orderly retrospective tasting, a march from young to old or vice versa.
    — Sara L. Schneider, Robb Report, 6 June 2022
  • There are limitations of a retrospective study such as this one.
    — Maureen MacKey, Fox News, 26 Mar. 2023
  • That was one way to keep the viewers immersed in the story and not think of it like a retrospective or looking back.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 Jan. 2024
  • At the retrospective, many of the photos were immense, around fifteen square feet; shots of faces and limbs, storms and forests.
    — Madeleine Watts, Harper’s Magazine , 25 May 2022
  • Instead, the track serves as a retrospective addressing her many painful brushes with love.
    — Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 21 Oct. 2022
  • There were additional plans to film a retrospective episode, but that was also scrapped.
    — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2025
  • And that has altered the retrospective view of Johnson’s life decision of less than a year ago.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 14 May 2026
  • At the end of every sprint, celebrate your wins and have a retrospective meeting to see what went well and where your team can improve.
    — Raghu Gollamudi, Forbes, 19 July 2022
  • On the toilet my mind offers a self-pity retrospective montage, replaying the day’s oof.
    — Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2022
  • This retrospective aspect of the show clearly pleased many in the crowd at Chase Center.
    — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024
  • The voice is retrospective, but it’s written in the voice of a 65-year-old writing about a 20-year-old.
    — Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 13 Nov. 2023
  • The solo acoustic run will feature a retrospective setlist spanning his career.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Thus, the carousel of trading-favors-for-dirt grinds on — until much later, in a retrospective wrap-up of fates and evolutions.
    — Joan Frank, Washington Post, 12 July 2023
  • Ian Anderson did a retrospective tour concert in San Diego a few years ago.
    — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2023
  • One retrospective account estimated that both sides had as many as 60 fighters in the air!
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Making a book and hosting a retrospective show led the conversation.
    — Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Yeah, so the law has this long-standing distinction between what the lawyers would call prospective relief and retrospective relief.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
  • However, immersed in retrospective data, Fed heads should not confuse the past with the present, let alone with the future.
    — Steven Tian, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2022
  • But as the United States did become such a nation, the phrase acquired a retrospective new meaning.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026
  • Part retrospective, part manifesto, the set draws from more than 70 years of archival material.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026
  • If not for Armstrong, our Mark Tobey retrospective would have been canceled.
    — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 14 Dec. 2023
  • Festivalgoers were at the ready with retrospective lists of their favorite screenings, parties and run-ins.
    — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The study was retrospective and could not determine whether the patients tested positive along with the return of symptoms.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 26 Aug. 2022
  • Costello will be taking part in another retrospective show before the New York run.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Sep. 2022
  • This isn’t meant to be retrospective, but about discovering Sauvage, the classic, today.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
  • This retrospective tale, a work of memory, is largely set in 1940s Ohio.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023

retrospective

2 of 2 noun
  • The museum is featuring a retrospective of Picasso's early works.
  • But this isn't just a retrospective.
    — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
  • Zurich will also screen a retrospective of his films.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
  • Brown did not agree to be interviewed for this retrospective on her years in office.
    — oregonlive, 8 Jan. 2023
  • Her use of retrospective in that book was a masterclass in and of itself!
    — Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
  • The Tate retrospective will now open without him.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 30 May 2026
  • This was not going to be a retrospective of all the [career] highlights.
    — Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Jan. 2023
  • One is a retrospective of his works, mingled with artists he’s influenced by.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 Apr. 2023
  • The tour is billed as a retrospective of Madonna's four-decade career.
    — Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 28 June 2023
  • Showing new work instead of a show based on a retrospective has a kind of practical reason.
    — Vogue, 8 Sep. 2023
  • The cadence is defined by the time lag between planning and the retrospective.
    — Serge Haziyev, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Michael-Shawn Dugar has a great retrospective on what made these Seahawks great.
    — Chris Branch, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
  • While some retrospectives serve as a rubber stamp on a designer’s legacy, this one is a bit more open-ended.
    — Véronique Hyland, ELLE, 8 Sep. 2023
  • There is a 50-year retrospective of Vasquez’s work on display through May.
    — Heather McRea, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Katz, of course, has had an entire second career since his last retrospective, at the age of almost 60.
    — Amanda Fortini Alec Soth, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2022
  • The retrospective will run from March 12-22.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Below, the doyenne of the art world reflects on bringing the retrospective to life, and the future of performance art.
    — Vogue, 23 Sep. 2023
  • Modern retrospectives on the series often come from those who were traumatized by it as children.
    — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2025
  • The community was asked to provide input with suggestions for the retrospective of the best of the best from years past.
    — Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 27 Sep. 2022
  • The two-hour, high energy set was a rousing retrospective of Bad Bunny's rise over the last six years.
    — Bianca Betancourt, Harper's BAZAAR, 16 Apr. 2023
  • After that, a video retrospective showed Tainy’s childhood in San Juan.
    — Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2024
  • Throughout the retrospective, the curators have sprinkled in work by other artists.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024
  • But Usher decided to do a retrospective of his long and accomplished career and who can blame him.
    — Stephen Daw, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024
  • The first retrospective of Donatello in 35 years was always going to be an event.
    — Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2022
  • The question of children is another major theme of this retrospective.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Steve Keene, possibly the world’s most prolific painter, is hard at work, even though the gallery’s hosting a retrospective of his work.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2022
  • This 20-year retrospective will showcase an array of 24 unique models the brand has produced over the years.
    — Cait Bazemore, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2022
  • See here for our 2021 AI predictions, and see here for our retrospective on them.
    — Rob Toews, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2023
  • See here for our 2022 AI predictions, and see here for our retrospective on them.
    — Rob Toews, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2023
  • The unveiling of the new wing had been timed to coincide with a mid-career retrospective of an Italian sculptor.
    — Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'retrospective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: