hindsight

English

Etymology

From hind +‎ sight, 19th c. Compare Latinate retrospect.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪn(d)saɪt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

hindsight (countable and uncountable, plural hindsights)

1. Realization or understanding of the significance and nature of events after they have occurred.

   Antonym: foresight

   Hypernym: sight

   You know what they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty.

   In hindsight, I realize that I should have studied harder for the exam.

   • 1961 March, “Talking of trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 133:

     Hindsight is more easily acquired than foresight.

3. (rare) The rear sight of a firearm.

   Synonym: backsight

   Antonym: foresight

   Hypernym: sight

   Holonym: iron sights

Derived terms

• hindsight is 20/20
• hindsightism
• hindsightly
• in hindsight
• twenty-twenty hindsight

Translations

after-the-fact realisation or understanding

• Afrikaans: nawete (af)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 事后诸葛亮 (zh) (shìhòu Zhūgě Liàng), ^{(please verify)} 马后炮 (zh) (mǎhòupào)

• Czech: zpětný pohled m
• Danish: bagklogskab (da) c
• Dutch: terugblik (nl) m
• Finnish: jälkiviisaus
• French: recul (fr) m
• German: Rückblick (de) m
• Italian: senno di poi (it) m
• Japanese: 後知恵 (あとぢえ, ato jie)
• Kannada: ಹಿನ್ನೋಟ (kn) (hinnōṭa)
• Norwegian: etterpåklokskap m
• Portuguese: retrospecto (pt) m
• Russian: взгля́д в про́шлое m (vzgljád v próšloje), ретроспективный взгляд m (retrospektivnyj vzgljad)
• Spanish: retrospectiva (es) f, perspectiva (es) f, noción a posteriori f, conocimiento a posteriori m
• Swedish: efterklokhet (sv), facit (sv) n (figuratively)
• Turkish: retrospektif (tr)

rear sight of a firearm

• Bulgarian: прицел (bg) m (pricel)
• Finnish: takatähtäin
• Russian: прицел (ru) m (pricel)

See also

• afterknowledge
• hindlook
• retrospect