Post-Mortem: Definition, Usage & Examples

Meaning 1：after-the-fact analysis (post-mortem)

post-mortem 🔊

/ˌpoʊst ˈmɔːrtəm/

adj.

After something has happened, especially used for a detailed examination or analysis.

Post-mortem analysis illustrated by a team reviewing project charts in a modern office meeting

after-the-fact analysis 🔊

➕

/ˈæftər ðə fækt əˈnæləsɪs/

adj.

Refers to an examination or analysis conducted after an event has occurred, typically to understand what happened and learn for the future.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'post' (after) and 'mortem' (death), meaning 'after death'.

💡 Mnemonic

Post means after, mortem relates to death; think of reviewing after an event 'dies'.

📖 Example

After the project failed, the team held a post-mortem meeting to figure out what went wrong and how to improve next time. 🔊 The team held a meeting after the project failed to analyze mistakes and plan improvements.

🔗 Collocations

post-mortem meeting – a meeting held after an event to review it

conduct a post-mortem – to perform an analysis after something has happened

post-mortem report – a document detailing the findings of an after-event analysis

🔄 Synonyms

postmortem (adj./n.) – same meaning, often used interchangeably

debrief (n./v.) – a meeting or process to discuss and analyze after an event

retrospective (n./adj.) – looking back on past events, often in a review context

🚫 Antonyms

pre-mortem (n.) – a proactive analysis before an event to identify potential issues

🌱 Derivatives

postmortem (n.) – an examination or analysis after death or an event

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Latin 'post mortem', literally 'after death', originally used for medical autopsies. Now commonly metaphorically in business for project reviews to analyze failures and improve future outcomes.