second guess
Doubt after deciding
Second-guess is to question or doubt a decision after it has been made, often your own or someone else's: Don't second-guess yourself.
It implies hindsight criticism—evaluating choices with information or perspective unavailable at the time.
The term can suggest unhelpful overthinking or legitimate reconsideration: The committee second-guessed every move the director made.
Evaluate again differently
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reassessEvaluate a second time
- reexamineInspect once more
- revisitExamine again later
review · reflect · deliberate · ponder · mull over · contemplate · weigh · question
Hesitate or fluctuate
- vacillateWaver between choices
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- falterLose momentum or steadiness
- ditherNervous inability to choose
equivocate · balk · hedge · stall · hold back · think twice · hang back · shy away
State of being unsure
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- misgivingsFeelings of doubt
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- distrustAbsence of confidence
suspicion · wariness · qualms · reservation · apprehension · disbelief · dubiousness · cynicism
Think deeply and repeatedly
- obsessDwell on compulsively
- overanalyzeScrutinize beyond usefulness
- worryTroubled mental state
- fretAgitation or fingerboard guide
agonize · dwell · fixate · brood · spiral · catastrophize · anxiety · self-doubt
rethink
Evaluate again differently
- reevaluateConsider again more carefully
- reassessEvaluate a second time
- reexamineInspect once more
revisit · review · reflect · deliberate · ponder · mull over · contemplate · weigh · question · challenge
waver
Hesitate or fluctuate
dither · equivocate · balk · hedge · stall · hold back · think twice · hang back · shy away · pull back
uncertainty
State of being unsure
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- misgivingsFeelings of doubt
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
distrust · suspicion · wariness · qualms · reservation · apprehension · disbelief · dubiousness · cynicism · insecurity
ruminate
Think deeply and repeatedly
- obsessDwell on compulsively
- overanalyzeScrutinize beyond usefulness
- worryTroubled mental state
fret · agonize · dwell · fixate · brood · spiral · catastrophize · anxiety · self-doubt · paralysis
- decisionschoice, make a decision, choices, yes, no
- Assumptionsfalse assumption, stereotypes, generalizations, biases, prejudices
- mistakesmistake, mistakes, slip, error, errors
- persuasion tacticscharm, butter up, flattery, flatter, coax
- revisiting actionsretrying, redoing, reviewing, rereading, rewatching
- Thinking phrasesI think, I believe, in my opinion, I wonder, I suppose
second guesstrust
Confidence in another
believe in · stand by · have faith in · rely on · back
second guesscommit
Bind to a course
decide · stick with · stand firm · follow through · take the plunge
second, guess, seconds, seconded, seconding, secondly, guesses, guessed, guessing