Wise only after the fact; showing understanding or insight that comes too late to be useful, characterized by hindsight wisdom.
Combines 'after' with 'wise' (Old English 'wis'). Related to 'afterwit' and emerged as writers needed to describe the regretful wisdom of hindsight.
Being 'afterwise' is basically the definition of human nature—we're all experts at criticizing decisions in the past when we can see every consequence, but terrible at predicting the future!
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