prospective
Americanadjective
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of or in the future.
prospective earnings.
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potential, likely, or expected.
a prospective partner.
adjective
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looking towards the future
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(prenominal) anticipated or likely
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of prospective
From the Late Latin word prōspectīvus, dating back to 1580–90. See prospectus, -ive
Explanation
If it's prospective, it hasn't happened yet. Prospective students are students who might attend a school in the future. If you visit any college campus, you’ll see prospective students checking out the library, the dorms, and athletic facilities. Prospective indicates that something is expected or likely to happen. If you’re contemplating your future, you might speak of your prospective career, your prospective spouse, or a prospective million-dollar offer to make a movie based on your fascinating life. However, avoid the common mistake of confusing prospective with perspective. Perspective, which can mean “a reasonable point of view,” is important when one wants to accurately assess prospective opportunities.
Vocabulary lists containing prospective
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Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To investigate these questions more thoroughly, the research team plans to conduct prospective studies that follow patients from the beginning of treatment.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
The Speedster has a waiting list of prospective buyers from across the world, waiting to spend around £85,000 on the sports car.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
They are yet to be given a date for a court hearing but Campaner estimates the investigating stage would conclude by the end of the year, with a prospective court case starting next year.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
And officials simultaneously blessed an untested idea pitched by wealthy prospective donors: pushing individual stocks directly into kids’ accounts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
“I hope my children take after their mother when it comes to organization. I’m sorry, probably not the sort of thing you want to hear from your prospective lawyer, heh?”
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
