forethought

American  

[fawr-thawt, fohr-] / ˈfɔrˌθɔt, ˈfoʊr- /

noun

1. thoughtful provision beforehand; provident care; prudence.

2. a thinking of something beforehand; previous consideration; anticipation.

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forethought British  

/ ˈfɔːˌθɔːt /

noun

1. advance consideration or deliberation

2. thoughtful anticipation of future events

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Related Words

See prudence.

Other Word Forms

• forethoughtful adjective
• forethoughtfully adverb
• forethoughtfulness noun

Etymology

Origin of forethought

First recorded in 1250–1300, forethought is from the Middle English word forthoght. See fore-, thought ¹

Explanation

Forethought is considering or planning something ahead of time. With some forethought, you can make sure to cook enough food for all the friends you invited to your dinner party. People with forethought are good planners: it takes a little forethought to plan a trip to Europe or to make a monthly budget or to interview someone for a newspaper article. Instead of acting impulsively, using forethought means making a strategy or considering different outcomes before taking action. It comes from the obsolete forethink, "think of something beforehand," from Old English, foreþencan, "to premeditate or consider."

Example Sentences

Not bad for something he quickly bashed out in bulletin format without much forethought, in response to a post a former colleague had written.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026

"What we do need though is some forethought on this."

From BBC • Aug. 19, 2025

It seems that the administration may have not applied its usual level of forethought and analytical rigor to this decision.

From Slate • Jul. 24, 2025

On NBC's "Meet the Press," host Kristen Welker wondered if the Trump administration had put any forethought into their global raft of tariffs.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2025

Some rise to present danger, not I. My gift is forethought.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin