MEANING
Expected or possible in the future, or oriented toward following future events.
Use it for
future participants; forward-following research; anticipated outcomesDistinguish a future possibility from a completed event.
Words that belong together
- prospective study
- prospective student
- prospective benefits
On the page
Prospective students received a clear statement of fees before applying.
The prospective study recorded exposure before measuring later health outcomes.
The committee weighed prospective benefits against immediate implementation costs.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- prospective
Usage notes
Primary category: academic. A prospective student is a potential future student; a prospective study follows subjects forward from a defined starting point. Neither use guarantees the future outcome. Normally non-gradable in this sense; comparison requires a specific contextual scale. Derived family (not inflections): prospect, prospectively.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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