hindsight 20/20
Past seems obvious
Hindsight is 20/20 means it's easy to see what should have been done after the fact.
The phrase plays on 20/20 as the standard measure of perfect vision—looking backward, everything becomes clear.
Usually invoked when someone criticizes a past decision: Sure, hindsight is 20/20, but at the time we had no way of knowing.
The expression acknowledges that judging choices with full knowledge of outcomes is unfair to those who made them under uncertainty.
- retrospectReflection on past events
- in retrospectConsidering past events now
- regretSorrow over past actions
- if onlyExpression of regret
- clarityState of being understandable
crystal clear · perfect vision · reflection · wisdom · mistakes · lessons · past · looking back · realization · aftermath · after the fact · too late · shoulda · coulda · woulda · perspective · rewind · memory
hindsight 20/20foresight
Ability to anticipate futures
prescience · clairvoyance · prophecy · anticipation · foreknowledge
hindsight 20/20flying blind
Acting without guidance
uncertainty · unpredictability · unknown unknowns · blindsided · in the dark