Meaning & use

visionary

adjective·Advanced

Having or showing highly original ideas about how the future could or should be.

See it in a sentence

The visionary architect designed a city powered entirely by renewable energy.

Her visionary leadership transformed the small startup into a global company.

A note on using this word

Visionary praises bold, original thinking about the future; it is more positive than 'idealistic,' which can suggest impracticality.

Words with a similar meaning

forward-thinkinginnovative

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

conventionalshortsighted

Another way to use it

2. noun

A person with original and often bold ideas about the future.

The company was founded by a visionary who predicted the rise of online shopping decades early.

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