A few days ago

Toria

What does this mean?

What does the term “Hindsight is always 20/20” mean?

Where did it come from?

Top 8 Answers

A few days ago

Navigator

Favorite Answer

It means that when something has already happened, it’s easy to look back and explain it or tell how things could have been done better.

A few days ago

some_mystery_for_u

20/20 vision is considered perfect vision. Hindsight is a coloquialism for seeing the outcome of something that has already occurred. So if somebody waits for something to happen before telling you that the outcome was obvious, you remark to them that hindsight is 20/20, meaning anybody can be right about how something was going to turn out if we wait till after to comment on it.

An example would be an Iraq war hawk who now says that the Bush strategies were doomed from the start because they didn’t send enough troops. If Rumsfeld made the statement, the expression would apply. If Shinseki made the statement, it would not apply since he advocated more troops all along.

A few days ago

here I am

dont’ know where it came from, but hindsight is looking back on things, and 20/20 is perfect vision – you can always see things better when time has gone by. like that answer on the test, or that important purchase you made (that you shouldn’t have – or that you should have).

A few days ago

Anonymous

When we look back at the past, it is easy to see how we made mistakes and what we should have done differently. We see clearly then, with 20/20 (perfect) vision.

Not sure of its origin.

A few days ago

Anonymous

It means that after something happens it is easy to understand what should have been done to advance or avoid the outcome. For example, in football if a coach decides to go for a first down instead of punting on fourth down and his team fails to get the first down…he will be criticized for the call. But, if his team is successful then he will be praised.

A few days ago

Anonymous

20/20 is considered perfect vision. It means that in retrospect, you always know what you should have done.

A few days ago

CinderBlock

You can see perfectly the things that happenned yesterday.

A few days ago

Cornell is Hot!

it means when you look to your past you can see things more clearer. just like when people say “if i knew then what i know now”