hindsight

noun

hind·​sight ˈhīn(d)-ˌsīt How to pronounce hindsight (audio)
: perception of the nature of an event after it has happened
In hindsight, it's clear there were alternatives.
Hindsight is twenty-twenty.

Examples of hindsight in a Sentence

It's easy for us to say that the war was wrong, but we have the advantage of hindsight.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And that, more than anything, may be the hindsight the library has to offer. — Lee Cowan, CBS News, 21 June 2026 The numbers don’t really look great, in hindsight. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 June 2026 Trump has deprived us of the particular luxury of hindsight for more than a decade now. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026 Founders move between roles, test ideas that do not scale, and operate without the clarity that is often imposed in hindsight. — Ethan Stone, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hindsight

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hindsight was in 1866

Phrases Containing hindsight

Rhymes for hindsight

See All Rhymes for hindsight

Browse Nearby Words

hindside
hindsight
Hindu
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hindsight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hindsight. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hindsight

noun
hind·​sight ˈhīn(d)-ˌsīt How to pronounce hindsight (audio)
: realization of the meaning or importance of an event only after it has happened

More from Merriam-Webster on hindsight

Nglish: Translation of hindsight for Spanish Speakers

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