second-guess
Doubt after deciding
Second-guess is to question or criticize a decision after the fact, often with the benefit of hindsight: It's easy to second-guess the coach after the team loses.
It also means to anticipate someone's actions or thinking: She tried to second-guess what her opponent would do next.
The term implies doubt—either retrospective judgment or preemptive speculation.
Evaluate a second time
- reconsiderThink about something anew
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reviewCritical written assessment
- questionRequest for information
analyze · scrutinize · judge · examine · assess · evaluate · challenge · dispute
Ponder far too much
- worryTroubled mental state
- ruminateThink deeply and repeatedly
- obsessDwell on compulsively
- fretAgitation or fingerboard guide
agonize · stew · brood · dwell · overanalyze · catastrophize · spiral · fixate
Recognition after the fact
- self-reproachBlaming oneself for wrongdoing
- self-blameAttributing fault to oneself
- remorseGuilt for wrongdoing
- rueFeel deep remorse
look-back · rehash · replay · recrimination · lament · wish · coulda · woulda
Request for information
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
- misgivingsFeelings of doubt
suspicion · disbelief · cynicism · wariness · reservation · qualms · incredulity · dubiousness
Hesitate or fluctuate
- vacillateWaver between choices
- waffleGridded breakfast cake
- ditherNervous inability to choose
- hedgeBoundary of planted shrubs
equivocate · falter · stall · balk · pause · delay · procrastinate · flip-flop
Athletic motor skill collapse
- twistiesCoiled corn snacks
- performance-anxietyFear of public display
- stage-frightFear of public performance
- nervesTense apprehension
pressure · self-sabotage · freeze · choke · buckle · crumble · head-case
reassess
Evaluate a second time
- reconsiderThink about something anew
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reviewCritical written assessment
question · analyze · scrutinize · judge · examine · assess · evaluate · challenge · dispute · nitpick
overthink
Ponder far too much
fret · agonize · stew · brood · dwell · overanalyze · catastrophize · spiral · fixate · perseverate
hindsight
Recognition after the fact
- self-reproachBlaming oneself for wrongdoing
- self-blameAttributing fault to oneself
- remorseGuilt for wrongdoing
rue · look-back · rehash · replay · recrimination · lament · wish · coulda · woulda · postmortem
question
Request for information
- distrustAbsence of confidence
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
misgivings · suspicion · disbelief · cynicism · wariness · reservation · qualms · incredulity · dubiousness · mistrust
waver
Hesitate or fluctuate
hedge · equivocate · falter · stall · balk · pause · delay · procrastinate · flip-flop · oscillate
yips
Athletic motor skill collapse
- twistiesCoiled corn snacks
- performance-anxietyFear of public display
- stage-frightFear of public performance
nerves · pressure · self-sabotage · freeze · choke · buckle · crumble · head-case
- judgmentsjudgment call, judge, moral judgment, criticize, value judgment
- Think twicereconsider, rethink, reevaluate, pause, hesitate
- overthinkingoverthink, ruminate, obsess, brood, dwell
- thinkingthinking, reasoning, thought, ponder, contemplate
- Assumptionsfalse assumption, stereotypes, generalizations, biases, prejudices
- reversalsreverse, undo, revert, overturn, flip
second-guesstrust
Confidence in another
have faith in · believe in · rely on · count on · take at face value
second-guessstand by
Remain ready to assist
stick with · follow through · commit · accept · embrace
second, guess, sequence, guessing, guessed, guesswork, consecutive, guesstimate, second-guessing