will reflect upon

USAGE SUMMARY

"will reflect upon" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing the act of thinking deeply or considering something carefully. Example: "After the meeting, I will reflect upon the decisions made." Alternative expressions include "will contemplate" and "will think about."

✓ Grammatically correct

Academia

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

17 human-written examples

Think about how the idea will reflect upon your audience more than you think about how it will reflect upon you.

Harvard Business Review

"Remember that the judgment you make will reflect upon your judgment, politically, for the rest of your career.

The Guardian

The idea is that students will reflect upon the instructor's comments and this will improve their writing in the future.

University of California, Berkeley

Based on document and case studies from the USA and the Netherlands we will reflect upon differences between the Japanese and "Western" practices and resulting implementation problems.

International Journal of Production Economics

She added: "Being the first Saudi woman [editor-in-chief] is going to be double the responsibility … One's actions will reflect upon my fellow Saudi women".

The Guardian

As the summer progresses, all three begin to muse over the shape the book will take and the way it will reflect upon Marsha.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

43 human-written examples

We'll reflect upon current events through the lens of classical philosophical thought.

Columbia University

"I also hope they'll reflect upon their own lives and think about falsehoods that might be holding them back.

Huffington Post

National exertions of influence will be reflected upon, as they often contradict expert evaluations.

Stanford University

Jorma Ollila, Shell's chairman, was contrite, announcing: "We take the outcome of this vote very seriously and we will reflect carefully upon it".

The Guardian - Business

"We as the board take the outcome of this vote very seriously, and we will reflect carefully upon it," he said.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Employ this phrase in conclusions or introductory statements of research papers to outline future areas of inquiry.

Common error

Do not use the phrase as a transitive verb without a preposition, such as "we will reflect the results", as this changes the meaning to physical mirroring. Always include "upon" or "on" to indicate the act of thinking.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "will reflect upon" serves as a future active verb construction where "will" acts as a modal auxiliary to denote future intent, "reflect" is the intransitive head verb, and "upon" is a formal preposition. Based on data from Ludwig, it is used to introduce a forthcoming evaluative or introspective process.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Academia

45%

News & Media

35%

Science

15%

Less common in

Wiki

3%

Formal & Business

2%

Social Media

0.1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "will reflect upon" is a sophisticated linguistic tool for expressing future introspection. Ludwig data demonstrates that it is a hallmark of high-level discourse, appearing frequently in academic journals and prestige news outlets. While it is interchangeable with the more common "will reflect on", the choice of "upon" elevates the tone and suggests a more rigorous or philosophical inquiry. Ludwig AI confirms its status as a grammatically robust construction that is especially effective in professional summaries, research conclusions and personal manifestos. Writers should use it to convey a sense of seriousness and deliberate intent regarding future learning and evaluation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

will reflect on

uses the more common preposition without changing the fundamental meaning

will contemplate

adds a sense of deeper intellectual or spiritual focus compared to the query

will ponder

implies a slower and more philosophical wandering of thought

will think about

provides a neutral and more common everyday alternative

will consider

is more pragmatic and suggests evaluating options for a decision

will look back on

emphasizes the retrospective nature of the reflection

will examine

shifts the focus to a more objective or critical analysis

will deliberate on

suggests a formal or group-based decision-making process

will ruminate on

implies a repetitive or deep psychological dwelling on a topic

will appraise

focuses specifically on judging the value or impact of the subject

FAQs

How do I use "will reflect upon" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe a planned future period of thought, for example: "After the project concludes, the team "will reflect upon" the lessons learned to improve future workflows."

What is the difference between "will reflect upon" and "will reflect on"?

There is no functional difference in meaning, but "upon" is considered more formal and is more common in academic writing, while "will reflect on" is standard in journalism and daily speech.

Can I use "will contemplate" instead of "will reflect upon"?

Yes, "will contemplate" is an excellent synonym that carries a similar level of formality and depth.

Is "will reflect upon" too formal for an email?

In a professional business context, it is perfectly appropriate. For a casual message to a friend, you might prefer "will think about".