se
cond
guess
verb
Third Person
second-guesses
Present Participle
second-guessing
Past Tense
second-guessed
Past Participle
second-guessed
1
evaluate or criticize with hindsight
2
to predict or anticipate an event or someone's reaction
- You can't second-guess how the team will react to the new strategy until they try it.
- I hate to second-guess how she'll react to the news, but I'm nervous about it.
- It's hard not to second-guess the outcome of the election after hearing the latest polls.
- She tried to second-guess his reaction before bringing up the topic.
- Political analysts are constantly trying to second-guess voters' behavior.
Synonyms: