ENGLISH
REFERENCE

twenty-twenty hindsight

idiom
Meaning

A perfect understanding of events only after they have happened.


Origin

disputed origin

From the term 20/20 which is used in visual testing to refer to normal visual acuity.

Examples
SIMPLE

It's easy to have twenty-twenty hindsight.

CONTEXTUAL

With twenty-twenty hindsight, I see that quitting my job was a mistake.

COMPLEX

The historian, armed with twenty-twenty hindsight, judged the general's decision harshly, forgetting the chaos and uncertainty of that winter morning.

Anchors to
Related idioms1entry
  1. 01

    hindsight is 20/20

    In hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice.

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