What Does ‘Hindsight’ Mean?

Do you remember things in hindsight?

hind·sight

/ˈhīn(d)ˌsīt/

noun

Definition: understanding of a situation or event after it has happened or developed.

The word hindsight is a fairly recent word originating in the 1800s. One of the first documentations of the word actually refers to “backsight” as in “backsight of a firearm.” The word hind is synonymous with back. Later on in the century, we have documentation of hindsight originating in 1862. According to etymonline.com (the source of this information), hindsight may have been created as joke opposite word to foresight, meaning guessing what might happen in the future.

Example sentences using hindsight:

–  “In hindsight, I shouldn’t have eaten an entire pumpkin pie – now I feel really sick!”

– When I started college, I immediately declared a physics major, but in hindsight, I realize I should have waited to try other subjects. I want to be a biology major!”

Have you ever looked back on an experience in hindsight?

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