hindsight








noun

  1. recognition of the realities, possibilities, or requirements of a situation, event, decision etc., after its occurrence.

noun

  1. the ability to understand, after something has happened, what should have been done or what caused the event
  2. a firearm’s rear sight
n.

by 1841, “backsight of a firearm,” from hind (adj.) + sight. Meaning “seeing what has happened” is attested by 1862, American English, (in proverbial “If our foresight was as good as our hindsight, it would be an easy matter to get rich”), probably a formation on the model of foresight.

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