hindsight

English

Etymology

From hind +‎ sight. Etymologically almost the exact Germanic equivalent to the Latin-derived retro (back) + spect (look).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪndsaɪt/

Noun

hindsight (countable and uncountable, plural hindsights)

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

   In hindsight, I should have quit that job sooner.

   • When you read "Seven Little Rabbits" at age 6 and read it again 15 years later, the hindsight you've developed in the time between will make you look at and think of the book very differently!
   • 1961 March, “Talking of trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 133:

     Hindsight is more easily acquired than foresight.

2. (rare) The rear sight of a firearm

Antonyms

• foresight

Hypernyms

• sight

Derived terms

• hindsightly
• twenty-twenty hindsight

Translations

after-the-fact realisation or understanding

• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: senno di poi (it) m
• Japanese: 後知恵 (あとぢえ, ato jie)
• Norwegian: etterpåklokskap m
• Portuguese: retrospecto (pt) m
• Russian: взгля́д в про́шлое m (vzgljád v próšloje)
• Spanish: retrospectiva (es) f, perspectiva (es) f, noción/conocimiento "a posteriori"
• Swedish: efterklokhet (sv)

the phrase "in hindsight"

• Dutch: achteraf gezien
• Finnish: jälkikäteen ajateltuna
• French: avec le recul, rétrospectivement (fr)
• German: im Nachhinein (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: visszatekintve, utólag (hu)
• Portuguese: em retrospecto
• Spanish: en retrospectiva, en perspectiva, "a posteriori", a toro pasado
• Swedish: i efterhand (sv)

rear sight of a firearm

• Finnish: takatähtäin
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

See also

• hindlook
• retrospect