second guessing
Doubting your decisions
Second guessing, also spelled second-guessing, is the act of questioning or reconsidering a decision after it has already been made.
When you second-guess yourself, you doubt your own choices or judgment: I keep second-guessing whether I should have taken that job.
When directed at others, it often carries a critical edge, suggesting that someone else's decision was wrong: The armchair quarterbacks spent the whole game second-guessing the coach.
The term implies hindsight, since it's easier to evaluate choices once outcomes are known.
- doubtLack of firm belief
- self doubtUncertainty about oneself
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
- reevaluationJudging something anew
- hindsightRecognition after the fact
thinking twice · looking back · pause · uncertainty · analysis paralysis · overthinking · reconsideration · misgivings · speculation · questioning · devil's advocate · micromanagement · what-ifs · scrutiny · cold feet · playing it safe · critical thinking · indecision
- insecuritiesinsecurity, self-doubt, low self-esteem, inadequacy, inferiority
- frettingworrying, fussing, fretting, stewing, hand-wringing
- mental blocksmental block, self-doubt, self-sabotage, procrastination, self-criticism
- thinkingthinking, reasoning, thought, ponder, contemplate
- Anxietyanxiety, nervousness, panic, worry, generalized anxiety
- decision makingchoice, preference, picking, selection, options
second guessingdecisiveness
Ability to choose firmly
commitment · conviction · resolve · determination · steadfastness
second guessingtrusting
Inclined to believe others
faith · accepting · believing · deferring · taking at face value
second guessingtrusting
Inclined to believe others
self-assurance · confidence · self-confidence · accepting · faith
second, guess, guessing, guessed, guesser, guesses, guesswork, secondly, seconds