afterthought

noun

af·​ter·​thought ˈaf-tər-ˌthȯt 

1

: an idea occurring later

2

: something (such as a part or feature) not thought of originally : something secondary

Examples of afterthought in a Sentence

Then I remembered, almost as an afterthought, to feed the cat.

The fact was hidden deep in the report, almost as an afterthought.

The lounge was added to the office as an afterthought.

Recent Examples on the Web

With Sanders on the roster, Gabriel is being viewed as an afterthought, thanks to the coverage the former Colorado quarterback is getting. —Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 May 2025

Hidden Vulnerabilities In Traditional Disaster Recovery Traditional disaster recovery plans often treat payment systems as an afterthought, assuming that, if IT infrastructure recovers, payments will naturally follow. —Rupert Lee-Browne, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Dwarfed by the lunchtime onslaught at Chick-fil-A next door, Deli George on Broadway occasionally felt like an afterthought. —Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 6 May 2025

Yet the city continues to treat nonprofits as afterthoughts — beggars, not builders. —Gregory J. Morris, New York Daily News, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

after- + thought entry 1

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for afterthought

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• apricot
• argonaut
• astronaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot
• huguenot

Kids Definition

afterthought

noun

af·​ter·​thought -ˌthȯt 

1

: a later thought about something one has done or said

2

: something not thought of originally