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.

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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

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

There’s one problem with this positive outlook: Energy-sector insiders aren’t buying it.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026

ThredUp shares are down more than 60% over the same period, plunging after investors were disappointed with its revenue outlook announced last month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

“Despite our more conservative build assumptions, the self-funded growth outlook still has the stock screening” with attractive upside, it says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Since then, the mission team has been studying how the maneuver affected Roman's long-term fuel outlook.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

The mental outlook of all future generations of Africans was at stake.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

For more on the companies’ own outlooks, you can search in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Edgar database for filings.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 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

“This apparent standoff between the bulls and the bears reflects short-term temperature outlooks that are only slightly skewed in a bullish direction,” Ritterbusch & Associates says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● 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