forethought
Americannoun
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thoughtful provision beforehand; provident care; prudence.
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a thinking of something beforehand; previous consideration; anticipation.
noun
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advance consideration or deliberation
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thoughtful anticipation of future events
Synonym Usage
See prudence.
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing forethought
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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.
“It requires a lot of forethought and planning to remain at home,” said Loverde, who lives in Chicago.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 12, 2026
These require no assembly and very little forethought beyond remembering to throw them in the basket.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
"I just thought it was crazy to put something like that in this community, with no forethought, no prior authorisation, not even asking the community," he said.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
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
Concerning the Gods, there are those who deny the very existence of the Godhead; others say that it exists, but neither bestirs nor concerns itself nor has forethought for anything.
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
Definitions 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.
