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future Definition

fu·ture (fyo̵̅o̅′c̸hər)

adjective

  1. that is to be or come; of days, months, or years ahead
  2. Gram. indicating time to come the future tense of a verb

Etymology: ME futur < OFr < L futurus, about to be, used as fut. part. of esse, to be

noun

  1. the time that is to come; days, months, or years ahead
  2. what will happen; what is going to be to seek to foretell the future
  3. the prospective or potential condition of a person or thing; esp., the chance to achieve, succeed, etc. to have a great future in politics
  4. a contract for a specific commodity bought or sold for delivery at a later date
  5. Gram.
    1. the future tense
    2. a verb form or phrase in this tense

future Synonyms

future

modif.

coming, impending, imminent, forthcoming, destined, fated, prospective, to come, to be, in the course of time, expected, anticipated, inevitable, approaching, unfolding, eventual, ultimate, later, planned, scheduled, projected, on the schedule, budgeted, in the planning stage, booked, in the plans for the future, not ruled out, looked toward, in the natural course of events, likely, coming up, in the cards*, in the offing*, down the road*, a gleam in someone's eye*; see also coming 1.

Antonyms past*, previous*, completed.

future Synonyms

future

n.

  1. All time that is to come

    futurity, aftertime, infinity, eternity, world to come, subsequent time, coming time, events to come, prospect, eventuality, tomorrow, the morrow, mañana (Spanish), the hereafter, by and by, the sweet by and by*.

    Antonyms past*, historic ages, recorded time.

  2. One's personal time to come

    destiny, fate, expectation; see doom 1, fate 2.

future Usage Examples

Preposition: of

mankind: Is this to be the future of mankind, to become nothing more than increasingly sophisticated consumers?

Converse of object

  • predict: Surf forecasts Information and websites to help you predict the future!
  • secure: They congratulate all those involved in securing a sustainable future for this outstanding 20th century building.
  • shape: Your views could shape the future, for good or ill.
  • threaten: Unique service for disabled faces ax A cash crisis is threatening the future of a pioneering city counseling center for the disabled.
  • face: Facing the future The authors projected the trends in this study forward into the next century.
  • discuss: KEEP OUT A council committee discussed the future of the development blueprint for South Derbyshire in secret behind closed doors.

Preposition: with

optimism: It provides higher living standards so that people can look to the future with optimism.

Adjective modifier

  • near: National guidance to be issued in the near future.
  • foreseeable: Hopefully this will be the last increase in the foreseeable future.
  • distant: I was a sign of things to come in the not too distant future.
  • bright: I think, that girl will have a bright future.
  • uncertain: He argues that, under Tony Blair, the Party faces an uncertain future.
  • sustainable: They congratulate all those involved in securing a sustainable future for this outstanding 20th century building.

Modifies a noun

  • generation: To foster these standards in future generations, it offers an annual award for the best paper by a student.
  • direction: I want to talk about exciting future directions for emotion research.
  • development: Some of the new proteins may also offer useful targets for future drug development.
  • prospect: The management, in turn, are likely to give a downbeat view of future business prospects.
  • career: I have also made many useful contacts that will help me in my future career.
  • plan: The School's future plans for working with the Gallery include interpreting art through musical composition.