Meaning & use
futurologists
Last updated
“futurologists” is a form of “futurologist”.
Meaning
nounplural
People who study trends in science, society and technology and use them to predict how the world may change.
Grammar: Plural of futurologist: some futurologists expect big changes.
Patterns
- futurologists predict something
- according to futurologists
Futurologists believe most cars will be self-driving within a few decades.
Many futurologists warn that work will change as machines improve.
The conference invited futurologists to discuss life in the year 2100.
Word forms
| singular | futurologist |
|---|
Common combinations
- leading futurologists
- Leading futurologists gave talks about the future of cities.
- futurologists predict
- Futurologists predict that robots will do more routine tasks.
- according to futurologists
- According to futurologists, schools will change a lot.
- futurologists warn
- Futurologists warn that rapid change will test governments.
Synonyms and how they differ
- futurists
- Futurists is nearly identical, but it can also refer to an early twentieth-century art movement.
- forecasters
- Forecasters predict things such as weather or sales, usually in the short term, not the broad long-term future.
- visionaries
- Visionaries are admired for bold ideas about what could be, and do not need to study evidence like futurologists.
- prophets
- Prophets claim special insight or religious inspiration, while futurologists try to use research and trends.
Word family
- futurologist noun
- one person who studies and predicts the future
- futurology noun
- the study and prediction of future trends
- futurological adjective
- relating to futurology
- future noun
- the time that is still to come
Commonly confused: futurologists or futurists?
futurologists vs futurists
Futurists can mean the same, but it is also the name of an artistic movement, so check the context.
Practice
Which group would most likely make predictions about how people will live in 2100?
Choose one answer.
Futurologists study trends to predict the future. Archaeologists study the past, and chemists and librarians have other jobs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “futurologists”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.