prospectively.

With attention to future events, or through arrangements made before the relevant events occur.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• prospectively collect data
• prospectively assess risk

On the page

The researchers collected outcomes prospectively after specifying their measurement rules.

Risk was assessed prospectively rather than judged solely by the eventual result.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Invariable adverb; no plural or tense forms. Comparison is used only where a particular degree naturally permits it. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: inference, qualification, analysis, methodology. Disciplines: academic writing, reasoning, research. Commonness: moderately common.