flashback
FLASH-bak
/ˈflæʃ.bæk/
A scene in a movie, novel, or play set in a time earlier than the main story.
Interrupts chronological order to reveal critical past events or psychological background.
The story behind the word. Coined during the early days of motion pictures in the 1900s to describe a rapid cut to an earlier event, evoking a sudden burst or 'flash' of light into forgotten history.
Word relationships
- retrospection: Retrospection is a reflective memory process, while a flashback is an active dramatized scene inserted into the story.
- flashforward: A flashforward jumps ahead to reveal future narrative events.
Commonly confused with
- foreshadowing: Flashback presents past events as an actual scene; foreshadowing hints subtle clues about future events.
Collocations
- dramatic flashback
- brief flashback
- extended flashback
- trigger a flashback
Example sentences
- "A dramatic flashback reveals how the main character acquired her scar during childhood." Film analysis
Memory hook
FLASHing BACK to an earlier memory. Sudden scene jump to the past.
When not to use
Do not use for forward jumps in time; forward jumps are called flashforwards.
Fun facts
- In clinical psychology, 'flashback' was adopted from cinema jargon to describe involuntary sudden re-experiencing of past trauma.
Related words
Explore more words
exposition, chronological, foreshadow, interlude, regression, retrospect
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