prognosis

American  

[prog-noh-sis] / prɒgˈnoʊ sɪs /

noun

prognoses plural

1. Medicine/Medical. a forecasting of the probable course and outcome of a disease, especially of the chances of recovery.

2. a forecast or prognostication.

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prognosis British  

/ prɒɡˈnəʊsɪs /

noun

1. med

   1. a prediction of the course or outcome of a disease or disorder

   2. the chances of recovery from a disease

2. any forecast or prediction

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prognosis Cultural  

1. A medical prediction of the future course of a disease and the chance for recovery.

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Discover More

Prognosis is often used as a general term for predicting the unfolding of events: “The governor said that the prognosis for the state's financial future is bleak.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prognoses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prognosis

First recorded in 1645–55; from Late Latin, from Greek prógnōsis “foreknowledge” opposed to pro- ², gnosis

Explanation

If you come down with an illness, you might ask your doctor what your prognosis is. A prognosis is a prediction about the course of a disease. Prognosis comes from the Greek pro- "before" and gnosis "knowledge." It means to know beforehand, but keep in mind that it is only a probable outcome and not a sure thing. Financial analysts frequently change their prognosis of the economy as they hear each piece of good or bad economic news. And if the weather prognosis is sunny and dry, but you see dark clouds forming, you would be wise to pack an umbrella.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prognosis prognoses

One of Zealand’s longest-term clients is a small-business owner who has a terminal diagnosis but has outlived the original prognosis.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

But its prognosis for victory would seem guarded at best.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

But the benefit is even more significant for pancreatic cancer because treatment options are scarce and the prognosis is bleak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

As well as the six-month prognosis clause, these included requirements for doctors to ensure the patient was acting voluntarily and to find out if they were receiving social or mental health care.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026

Dr. Wells visits every morning and leaves with a cheery prognosis.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

He said that while doctors could never be certain with prognoses, the six-month criteria would be a "yard stick" to ensure that people were in the final stages of life.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

The researchers envision a future when the germline genome is used to further stratify the 11 breast cancer subtypes identified by Curtis to guide treatment decisions and improve prognoses and monitoring for recurrence.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024

Through the long, wild ride, there were peaks and troughs, months of uncertainty, bailout talks, near-misses and dire prognoses.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 20, 2023

It’s an island of hope in a sea of dim prognoses for urban life.

From Slate ● Dec. 23, 2022

It had been Mrs. Richardson who had held her, Mrs. Richardson who had heard all the doctors’ prognoses, the dire warnings about what might be in store for her.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Related Words

• diagnosis
• prediction
• prognostication
• projection