flashback
/ˈflæʃbæk/ (bre, ipa) · [flˈæʃbˌæk] /ˈflæʃbæk/ (ame, ipa) · [flˈæʃbˌæk] /ˈflash-ˌbak/ (ame, mw)
flashback — noun
- flashbacksingular
- flashbacksplural
1. a scene in a film, book, or television programme that stops the current storylin
a scene in a film, book, or television programme that stops the current storyline to show something that took place earlier in time, often revealing details about characters or why certain events happened
In the final episode, a flashback shows how Yael's mother met the family's oldest friend.
flashback + shows how [past event]
The director added a flashback to show the town fifty years before the main story.
added a flashback to show [past scene]
Beatriz noticed that each flashback used a different colour filter on screen.
Viewers learn about Erik's difficult childhood through a series of flashbacks throughout the movie.
Without the flashback in chapter three, readers would not understand why the detective quit.
- replay
less common; sometimes used for brief memory scenes in sports broadcasts or documentaries
- retrospect
more formal and refers to thinking back, not a specific scene in a narrative
- recollection scene
a more literal, less cinematic term for the same narrative device
- foreshadowing
the opposite narrative device that hints at future events rather than showing past ones
- flash-forward
a jump to events later in time instead of earlier
文法句型
a flashback to [time/event]
flashback + scene/sequence
用法筆記
Common in film and literary criticism. The preposition 'to' often introduces the time period shown (e.g., a flashback to the 1990s). May also be used as a modifier: flashback scene, flashback sequence.
常見錯誤
2. the experience of suddenly seeing or feeling a difficult moment from the past ag
the experience of suddenly seeing or feeling a difficult moment from the past again, as if it were real and happening in the present time
After the car accident, Salma experienced a flashback every time she heard a loud horn.
trigger a flashback: [traumatic event] + flashback
The loud bang triggered a flashback of the earthquake, and Apinya began to tremble uncontrollably.
triggered a flashback of [past event]
Yael's flashback to the fire was so strong she could smell smoke.
A therapist helped Esme cope with the flashbacks that troubled her sleep.
Saira told her doctor the flashback came without warning and left her exhausted.
- intrusive memory
a clinical, more formal term used in psychology and therapy
- re-experiencing
a technical term from trauma psychology; less common in everyday speech
- replay
informal; suggests the same memory repeating in the mind like a video
文法句型
have a flashback
experience a flashback
flashback of [event]
用法筆記
Frequently associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The preposition 'to' or 'of' introduces the remembered event. Plural form ('flashbacks') is common when describing recurring episodes.