Standard Lemma guide

hindsight

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈhaɪn(d)saɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: HH AY1 N D S AY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: HH AY1 N S AY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • You know what they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty.
  • In hindsight, I realize that I should have studied harder for the exam.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: foresight

Broader terms: sight

2

noun

Meaning 2

The rear sight of a firearm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, rare, uncountable

Examples

  • Holonym: iron sights

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: backsight

Antonyms: foresight

Broader terms: sight

3

noun

Meaning 3

understanding the nature of an event after it has happened

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • hindsight is always better than foresight

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: understanding, apprehension, discernment, savvy

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: nawete — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Czech: zpětný pohled — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Danish: bagklogskab — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Dutch: terugblik — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Finnish: jälkiviisaus — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • French: recul — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • German: Rückblick — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Italian: senno di poi — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Japanese: 後知恵 (ato jie) — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Kannada: ಹಿನ್ನೋಟ (hinnōṭa) — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Norwegian: etterpåklokskap — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Portuguese: retrospecto — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Russian: взгля́д в про́шлое (vzgljád v próšloje) — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Russian: ретроспективный взгляд (retrospektivnyj vzgljad) — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Spanish: retrospectiva — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Spanish: perspectiva — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Spanish: noción a posteriori — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Spanish: conocimiento a posteriori — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Swedish: efterklokhet — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Swedish: facit — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Turkish: retrospektif — after-the-fact realisation or understanding
  • Bulgarian: прицел (pricel) — rear sight of a firearm
  • Finnish: takatähtäin — rear sight of a firearm
  • Russian: прицел (pricel) — rear sight of a firearm