outlook

American  

[out-look] / ˈaʊtˌlʊk /

noun

• outlooks
  plural

1. the view or prospect from a particular place.

   Synonyms:

   scene

2. mental attitude or view; point of view.

   one's outlook on life.

   Synonyms:

   approach, position, viewpoint, attitude

3. prospect of the future.

   the political outlook.

   Synonyms:

   scene

4. the place from which an observer looks out; lookout.

5. the act or state of looking out.

6. a watch kept; vigilance; lookout.

   a careful outlook to prevent forest fires.

---

outlook British  

/ ˈaʊtˌlʊk /

noun

1. a mental attitude or point of view

2. the probable or expected condition or outcome of something

   the weather outlook

3. the view from a place

4. view or prospect

5. the act or state of looking out

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outlooks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of outlook

First recorded in 1660–70; out- + look

Explanation

The word outlook describes a belief about the future. Your outlook on the awful present situation might make your outlook for the future turn grim. The noun outlook can also mean the practice of looking out. A guard's outlook on the bank vault must stay watchful and attentive in case there's an attempted robbery. Your outlook on your first job out of college was one of promise and excitement. The word can also mean a characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will handle situations. A pessimistic outlook on life will make you see only the negative.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

outlook outlooks

The ECB said the outlook remains highly uncertain, a point President Christine Lagarde tried to convey in her post-decision press conference.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

Energy Information Administration also raised its assessment of the disruption in its September outlook released Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Signet Jewelers SIG -3.08%decrease; down pointing triangle raised its adjusted earnings outlook for the year after swinging to a profit in the second quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The parent company of Zales and Kay Jewelers hikes its fiscal-year earnings outlook, but an analyst says there’s more to the report than the numbers.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

He has a wonderfully clear and simple outlook on life and is extremely comforting to be around.

From "Lawn Boy Returns" by Gary Paulsen

When the reporting season first kicked off, they said that investors’ main focus would still be capital expenditure outlooks among artificial-intelligence hyperscalers, with more interest in evidence of returns on those investments into the technology.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

With its revised outlooks, Tractor Supply said it would withdraw its long-term financial framework, first disclosed during a December 2024 investor presentation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Airbus and Boeing presented differing outlooks for their commercial aircraft in coming years, as the aviation sector gathered near London for this week's Farnborough airshow.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

However, from those early outlooks, “things can change quite a bit. Things will change quite a bit.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

In reality, I regularly observe in New Guinea that native societies there differ greatly from each other in their prevalent outlooks.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• chance
• expectation
• forecast
• opportunity
• possibility
• prospect
• risk