outlook

American  

[aut-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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• outlooks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of outlook

First recorded in 1660–70; out- + look

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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

As the years wore on, you didn’t share the same values or outlook on life.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 2026

"These debates and arguments over ideas were really important in shaping Bevan's outlook as well," he added.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

Lam Research’s stock flattened out Friday, but it is down 16% this week after sharing a disappointing outlook that it blamed on supply-chain constraints.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

He has been in training for the The Marathon Eryri, formerly the Snowdonia Marathon, but with a very different outlook.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

His outlook infected the entire CIA, making it a place where no one could be trusted, and where potential Soviet recruits were assumed to be double agents sent by the KGB.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

While growth was strong across earnings, credit and margin outlooks, investors are still feeling nervous about the potential of a Fed rate hike and its impact on banks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

On Tuesday, the IMF will unveil its global economic forecast, along with detailed regional outlooks through the week, as policymakers set about tackling the challenges darkening the economic horizon.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Much of the current optimism comes from FactSet’s information-technology sector, in which 44 companies issued upbeat third-quarter profit outlooks that topped analysts’ estimates.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 4, 2026

For years, technology stocks have been riding a wave of AI-inspired momentum powerful enough to override macroeconomic concerns, entirely due to those companies’ strong earnings growth and favorable profit outlooks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 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

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