hindsight
/ˈhaɪndsaɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhaɪndsaɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhīn(d)-ˌsīt/ (ame, mw)
hindsight — noun
1. the understanding of something from the past that you gain once the outcome is a
the understanding of something from the past that you gain once the outcome is already known, which makes the right decision look obvious in a way it was not before
With hindsight, Guo sees that moving to Taipei was his best career choice.
with hindsight + that-clause about a past decision
In hindsight, the warning signs of the First Federal Bank collapse were easy to spot.
in hindsight opening a sentence about missed signals
With the benefit of hindsight, Eva saw she had trusted her partner too quickly.
With the benefit of hindsight, Priya realized she should have studied more for her chemistry final last spring.
Ibrahim jokes that his best ideas only become obvious in hindsight, after the meeting ends.
- retrospect
More formal than 'hindsight'; used in the fixed phrase 'in retrospect' with the same meaning.
- 20/20 vision
Colloquial metaphor from eye tests; 'hindsight is 20/20' means the past looks perfectly clear.
- afterthought
Different meaning — refers to something thought of or added later, not the concept of understanding the past clearly.
- foresight
The ability to predict or prepare for future events before they happen — the direct opposite of hindsight.
- foreknowledge
Knowledge of something before it happens, which is exactly what hindsight lacks.
文法句型
in hindsight
with hindsight
with the benefit of hindsight
with the wisdom of hindsight
用法筆記
Almost always appears in fixed prepositional phrases — 'in hindsight', 'with hindsight', 'with the benefit of hindsight', or 'with the wisdom of hindsight'. These phrases typically function as sentence adverbials placed at the start or end of a clause. The word can also stand alone as a subject in the common expression 'Hindsight is 20/20'.