hindsight

noun

hind·​sight ˈhīn(d)-ˌsīt 

: perception of the nature of an event after it has happened

In hindsight, it's clear there were alternatives.

Hindsight is twenty-twenty.

Examples of hindsight in a Sentence

It's easy for us to say that the war was wrong, but we have the advantage of hindsight.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump has deprived us of the particular luxury of hindsight for more than a decade now. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026

Founders move between roles, test ideas that do not scale, and operate without the clarity that is often imposed in hindsight. — Ethan Stone, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026

And that, more than anything, may be the hindsight the library has to offer. — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 21 June 2026

For Meta, the problem started with what some industry experts called, in hindsight at least, a strategic blunder. — Jonathan Vanian,julia Boorstin, CNBC, 14 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing hindsight

• twenty-twenty hindsight

Rhymes for hindsight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

hindsight

noun

hind·​sight ˈhīn(d)-ˌsīt 

: realization of the meaning or importance of an event only after it has happened