Meanings
- idiomaticIn hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice.
Honestly? If you would have told me that becoming a professional tennis player might net me a decent supply of free pasta, I would have never begged my mom to quit my lessons. 😭 Hindsight = 20/20.
2023 July 30, Gretty Garcia, “Coco Gauff Is Still a Teenager, but Her Net Worth Reveals That She’s Already a Millionaire”, in Cosmopolitan1 more example
Another common error dealing with memory is that of "hindsight bias." This is the tendency to exaggerate what could have been anticipated in the past. This is also known as "Monday morning quarter backing" or "hindsight is 20/20" where the "right" decision as to what should have been done appears to be more obvious now than it was in the past.
2009, Joseph Grcic, Facing Reality: An Introduction to Philosophy, Revised edition, Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, page 57
Origin
From the term 20/20 referring to normal visual acuity.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Cantonese 馬後炮 /马后炮, 有早知，冇乞兒 /有早知
- 馬後炮 /马后炮 (maa⁵ hau⁶ paau³)in hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
- 有早知，冇乞兒 /有早知in hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Chinese Mandarin 事後諸葛亮 /事后诸葛亮, 馬後炮 /马后炮
- 事後諸葛亮 /事后诸葛亮 (shìhòu Zhūgě Liàng)in hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
- 馬後炮 /马后炮 (mǎhòupào)in hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Czech po bitvě je každý generál
- po bitvě je každý generálin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Danish i bagklogskabens klare lys
- i bagklogskabens klare lysin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Finnish jälkiviisaus on helppoa
- jälkiviisaus on helppoain hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
German hinterher ist man immer klüger
- hinterher ist man immer klügerin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Hebrew כולם חכמים בדיעבד, במבט לאחור רואים הכול שש־שש
- כולם חכמים בדיעבדin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
- במבט לאחור רואים הכול שש־ששin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
- במבט לאחור כולנו חכמיםin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
- חוכמה לאחר מעשהin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Hungarian utólag könnyű okosnak lenni
- utólag könnyű okosnak lenniin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Italian del senno di poi son piene le fosse
- del senno di poi son piene le fossein hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Latvian pēc kara visi gudri, pēc kaujas visi gudri
- pēc kara visi gudriin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
- pēc kaujas visi gudriin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Norwegian det er lett å være etterpåklok
- det er lett å være etterpåklokin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Polish mądry Polak po szkodzie
- mądry Polak po szkodziein hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Portuguese depois que a onça já está morta, todo caçador é valente
- depois que a onça já está morta, todo caçador é valentein hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Russian гром не гря́нет
- гром не гря́нетin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Spanish después de la batalla somos todos generales
- después de la batalla somos todos generalesin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Swedish efterklokhet, det är lätt att vara efterklok
- efterklokhetin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
- det är lätt att vara efterklokin hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Ukrainian по шко́ді всі му́дрі
- по шко́ді всі му́дрі (po škódi vsi múdri)in hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Yiddish אחר־המעשׂה איז יעדערער אַ חכם
- אחר־המעשׂה איז יעדערער אַ חכם (akher-hamayse iz yederer a khokhem)in hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset
Cite this entry
hindsight is 20/20. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hindsight%20is%2020%2F20
“hindsight is 20/20.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hindsight%20is%2020%2F20. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hindsight is 20/20,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hindsight%20is%2020%2F20.
Source: hindsight is 20/20 on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.