Standard Lemma guide

prospective

adj · noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /pɹəˈspɛktɪv/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛktɪv
  • CMU ARPABET: P R AH0 S P EH1 K T IH0 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Likely or expected to happen or become.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Prospective students are those who have already applied to the university, but have yet to be admitted.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Anticipated in the near or far future.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Of or relating to a prospect; furnishing a prospect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Looking forward in time; acting with foresight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • 1668-1690, Josiah Child, A new discourse of trade The French king, and the king of Sweden are [...] circumspect, industrious, and prospective, too, in this affair.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Being a study that starts with the present situation and follows participants into the future

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Indicating grammatically an activity about to begin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • What some other languages convey with prospective aspect, English conveys with expressions like going to drive the car home.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

The scene before or around, in time or in space; view; prospect.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A perspective glass.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A prospective (potential) member, student, employee, date, partner, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, often, plural

Examples

  • Would you like to show the prospective around?
  • I'm meeting the prospectives at 3.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective

Meaning 10

of or concerned with or related to the future

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • prospective earnings
  • a prospective mother
  • a prospective bride
  • the statute is solely prospective in operation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: retrospective

History

Etymology

From Middle French prospectif, from Late Latin prospectivus. See more at English prospect.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: очакван (očakvan) — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Catalan: prospectiu — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Czech: nastávající — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Finnish: tuleva — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Finnish: mahdollinen — likely or expected to happen or become
  • French: prospectif — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Georgian: პოტენციური (ṗoṭenciuri) — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Georgian: სავარაუდო (savaraudo) — likely or expected to happen or become
  • German: voraussichtlich — likely or expected to happen or become
  • German: zukünftig — likely or expected to happen or become
  • German: künftig — likely or expected to happen or become
  • German: prospektiv — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Greek: ενδεχόμενος (endechómenos) — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Hungarian: jövendőbeli — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Icelandic: tilvonandi — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Italian: probabile — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Italian: eventuale — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Portuguese: prospectivo — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Russian: перспекти́вный (perspektívnyj) — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Russian: предполага́емый (predpolagájemyj) — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Russian: потенциа́льный (potenciálʹnyj) — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Scottish Gaelic: dòchasach — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Spanish: prospectivo — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Turkish: muhtemel — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Turkish: olası — likely or expected to happen or become
  • Catalan: prospectiu — following the same population
  • French: prospectif — following the same population
  • Georgian: მოსალოდნელი (mosalodneli) — following the same population
  • Italian: prospettivo — following the same population
  • Portuguese: prospectivo — following the same population
  • Portuguese: prospetivo — following the same population
  • Spanish: prospectivo — following the same population
Real reading context

prospective in complete knowledge articles