Words / B2

AHFT-uh-math/ˈɑːftəmæθ/

The aftermath is the period after a war, accident, or other bad event, when people deal with the results: in the aftermath of the storm. Aftermath is not a synonym for result in a neutral sense — it follows damage or shock. Aftermath of is the set pattern. In speech, after the disaster or what followed is plainer. Do not use it after a wedding or a success unless you are being darkly ironic.

Meaning

The period after a war, accident, or other bad event, when people deal with the results.

Examples

• “In the aftermath of the storm, roads were closed.”
• “In the aftermath of the flood, the school became a shelter.”
• “The inquiry sat for months in the aftermath of the collapse.”

Good to know

in the aftermath of + disaster. What follows a bad event. Everyday: after the disaster / the fallout. Not a neutral “result”.

Near in meaning

fallout

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