hindsight
Americannoun
noun
-
the ability to understand, after something has happened, what should have been done or what caused the event
-
a firearm's rear sight
Etymology
Origin of hindsight
Explanation
People who are able to look back on the past and understand what happened have hindsight. If you go skating on a frozen lake and it cracks, in hindsight you'd know you should've paid attention to the giant "danger" sign. Hindsight is like looking behind you to see what just happened (behind sight, get it?). Another way of describing retrospection, hindsight is a useful skill that can be cultivated. Hindsight often refers to a lesson learned from something going wrong. Billy Wilder, the American movie director, once commented wistfully, “Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.” It's much easier to see clearly after something happened than before.
Vocabulary lists containing hindsight
Wonder
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
10 Words that Inspired Taylor Swift
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I didn’t specifically say Venice, and in hindsight, I probably should have.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
All financial bacchanals end when an event, often minor but only obvious in hindsight, sets off an uncontrollable chain reaction.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
On Friday, Grafton told BBC Scotland News that with the benefit of hindsight and information that was not available on the day of the meeting, an alternative decision could have been taken.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
But Steve Toussaint and Abubakar Salim, who play Lord Corlys Velaryon and his bastard son Alyn of Hull, suggest that in hindsight, we may look upon the first two seasons a bit more kindly.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026
That I Pagliacci was only fifteen years old when Caruso popularised it on record - young in relation to opera’s extensive back catalogue - is, with the benefit of hindsight, strangely significant.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
