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• Monday morning quarterback
  Monday morning quarterback

  noun

  a person who criticizes the actions or decisions of others after the fact, using hindsight to assess situations and specify alternative solutions.
• Monday-morning quarterback
  Monday-morning quarterback

  A person who criticizes or passes judgment from a position of hindsight, as in Ethel was a Monday-morning quarterback about all the personnel changes in her department—she always claimed to have known what was going to happen. This expression, first recorded in 1932, alludes to fans who verbally “replay” Sunday's football game the next day, the quarterback being the team member who calls the plays.

Monday morning quarterback

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a person who criticizes the actions or decisions of others after the fact, using hindsight to assess situations and specify alternative solutions.

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Monday morning quarterback British  

noun

1. informal a person who criticizes or suggests alternative courses of action from a position of hindsight after the event in question

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Monday-morning quarterback Idioms  

1. A person who criticizes or passes judgment from a position of hindsight, as in Ethel was a Monday-morning quarterback about all the personnel changes in her department—she always claimed to have known what was going to happen. This expression, first recorded in 1932, alludes to fans who verbally “replay” Sunday's football game the next day, the quarterback being the team member who calls the plays.

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Other Word Forms

• Monday morning quarterbacking
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Monday morning quarterback

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Therapy may help you with this Monday morning quarterback.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

"One doesn't want to be a Monday morning quarterback on that," he said.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2020

It may have been a poor call on the part of the Pittsburgh officials to not delay school, but it’s easy to Monday morning quarterback.

From Washington Times • Feb. 27, 2019

“Everyone wants to play Monday morning quarterback and say, ‘You could have did that, you could have done that,’” Escoto said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2018

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said it's easy for critics to "play Monday morning quarterback" on the training program's slow progress.

From US News • Sep. 16, 2015