Meanings
present singular third person afterthinks · participle present afterthinking · participle past afterthought · past afterthought
- To think about after the fact, reflect on.
- To repent, or feel remorse for; to regret.
Never fear," said her husband ; " there, sit you down and mend your stockings, and the less you heed us the less you'll have to afterthink."
1870, Theodore Percival Wilson, Frank Oldfield; or, Lost and found1 more example
Do not afterthink except for poetic or P.S. reasons. Never afterthink to "improve" or defray impressions, as the best writing is always the most painful personal wrung-out tossed from cradle warm protective mind – tap from yourself the song of yourself, blow! – now! [...]
2005, John Long, Drugs and the 'Beats': The Role of Drugs in the Lives and Writings
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Ancient Greekμετάνοια
- Englishafterthink
Compound of after- + think, probably a calque of Ancient Greek μετάνοια (metánoia).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German nachträglich überdenken
- nachträglich überdenkenTo think about after the fact, reflect on
Cite this entry
afterthink. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afterthink
“afterthink.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afterthink. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “afterthink,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/afterthink.
Source: afterthink on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.