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Meaning & use

foresight

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈfɔːsaɪt/
US/ˈfɔːrsaɪt/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    The ability to see what may be needed or may go wrong in the future and prepare for it.

    Grammar: No plural: she had the foresight to save money.

    Patterns

    • have the foresight to do something
    • with foresight

    She had the foresight to buy extra batteries before the storm.

    With a little foresight, they could have avoided the delay.

    The company's foresight kept it afloat during the recession.

  2. noununcountableformal

    The act of looking ahead or thinking about the future.

    Grammar: Often in professional studies: strategic foresight.

    Patterns

    • foresight about something

    The government set up a unit for strategic foresight.

    Foresight about climate change shaped the city plan.

    Good foresight needs both data and imagination.

Common combinations

have the foresight
He had the foresight to back up his files.
lack foresight
The plan failed because it lacked foresight.
show foresight
The coach showed foresight in resting key players.
remarkable foresight
Her remarkable foresight saved the project.
with foresight
Planning with foresight avoids costly surprises.

Synonyms and how they differ

vision
Vision suggests a big inspiring picture of the future, whereas foresight is more practical preparation.
prudence
Prudence means careful caution, while foresight means actually anticipating what will come.
anticipation
Anticipation is expecting something, but it does not always involve preparing for it.
forethought
Forethought is planning done beforehand, which is close to foresight but more about the act of thinking.

Opposites

hindsightshortsightedness

Word family

foresee verb
to see or expect in advance
foreseeable adjective
able to be expected
unforeseen adjective
not expected
farsighted adjective
able to plan well ahead

Commonly confused: foresight or hindsight? foresight or foreseeable?

foresight vs hindsight

Hindsight is understanding something only after it happened, the opposite of foresight.

foresight vs foreseeable

Foreseeable is an adjective for things that can be predicted, while foresight is the ability itself.

Practice

Having the ____ to pack umbrellas saved the group from getting soaked.

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