retrospective bias

noun

UK /ˌrɛtrəˈspɛktɪv ˈbaɪəs/

US /ˌrɛtrəˈspɛktɪv ˈbaɪəs/

Thinking you knew something all along after you find out what happened.

After the game ended, retrospective bias made him say he always knew which team would win.

SYNONYMS

hindsight bias knew-it-all-along effect retrospection bias after-the-fact bias

RELATED WORDS

memory hindsight judgment prediction overconfidence

OTHER MEANINGS

2. The habit of judging past decisions as if the outcome were obvious beforehand.

Retrospective bias made the doctors seem careless, though they had made the best choice at the time.

3. A memory error where people recall their earlier guesses as closer to the truth than they were.

Her retrospective bias made her swear she had predicted the surprise ending.

4. A tendency to explain events after they happen as if they were easy to foresee.

Retrospective bias in the report made the crash look preventable.