retcon
/ˈɹɛtˌkɒn/
retcon noun: a fictional setting in which a new storyline explains or changes a previous event or attaches a new significance to it.
Noun
retcon (plural retcons)
- A fictional setting in which a new storyline explains or changes a previous event or attaches a new significance to it.
- TLC: What do you say to the Legion fans who have become disenfranchised with the series due to its various retcons and reboots?2003, Glen Cadigan, The Legion Companion, page 152
- Fans talk of retcon—retroactive continuity—giving information that explains an earlier event, especially seeming plot contradictions or lacunae.2005, Rhonda Wilcox, Why Buffy Matters: The Art of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, page 9
Verb
retcon (third-person singular simple present retcons, present participle retconning, simple past and past participle retconned)
- To employ such a device.
- While ‘retconning' the scripts, I came up with a number of theories that throw new light on the Doctor, his past, and various other elements[…]2003, Jean-Marc Lofficier, The Nth Doctor, page 5
- A lot of people were like, "Oh, they just retconned their own continuity. They should have used Kyle. I don't like that." So we just threw Kyle in there to say, "No, no, Kyle's still there. He still exists in the animated universe; he's just not stationed on Earth at the moment, regularly."2004, Eric Nolen-Weathington, Modern Masters Volume 3: Bruce Timm, page 79
Examples of retcon in a sentence
- Retroactive continuity (aka retconning), would reveal that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also Magneto's children, showing that this was a guy who was really committed to his cause2006, Len Wein, ed., The Unauthorized X-Men: SF and Comic Writers on Mutants, Prejudice, and Adamantium 92
- Luthor appeared a handful of times, Gary "retconned" the Toyman and created Terra-Man, and Superman would get a worthy opponent whenever Len Wein did a fill-in.2006, Michael Eury, Daniel (CON) Best, Glen (CON) Cadigan, Mike (CON) Esposito, David (CON) Mandel, The Krypton Companion, p. 157
- There’s a note of wistful, wishful thinking in all this retconning of reality — would that we could write a time jump into our own scripts!2022 January 7, James Poniewozik, “Wondering When the Pandemic Will End? On TV, It Already Has.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Forms of retcon
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | retcons |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | retcons |
| present participle | retconning |
| past participle | retconned |
| past | retconned |
Origin of retcon
A blend of retroactive + continuity. The term retroactive continuity was popularized by comics writer Roy Thomas, who was known for writing superhero comic books set decades in the past, such as All-Star Squadron, and attributes it to an anonymous source.
Questions about retcon
- What does retcon mean?
- Retcon means a fictional setting in which a new storyline explains or changes a previous event or attaches a new significance to it.
- How do you use retcon in a sentence?
- Retroactive continuity (aka retconning), would reveal that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also Magneto's children, showing that this was a guy who was really committed to his cause
- What part of speech is retcon?
- Retcon can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce retcon?
- Retcon is pronounced /ˈɹɛtˌkɒn/ (UK).
- What is the plural of retcon?
- The plural of retcon is retcons.
Words near retcon in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: retcon (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-retcon.wav.
Cite this entry: “retcon.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/retcon. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.