prospective

adjective

pro·​spec·​tive prə-ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce prospective (audio)
also ˈprä-ˌspek-, 
prō-ˈspek-, 
prä-ˈspek-
Synonyms of prospective
1
: relating to or effective in the future
2
a
: likely to come about : expected
the prospective benefits of this law
b
: likely to be or become
a prospective mother
prospectively adverb

Examples of prospective in a Sentence

In 2005 [Jerry] Colangelo arranged face-to-face sit-downs with every prospective national team player, to hear in their own words why they wanted to represent their country. —Alexander Wolff, Sports Illustrated, 28 July 2008
All too often in the post-Vietnam past—the first Gulf War, for example—the default position of the Democratic Party has been to assume that any prospective use of U.S. military power would be immoral. —Joe Klein, Time, 21 Aug. 2006
All of these arguments were prospective, all anticipated the role that public opinion would play in future constitutional disputes. —Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings …, 1996
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That's good news for home shoppers, but may not be enough to overcome the affordability hurdles keeping many prospective homebuyers out of the market. — Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026 But without fresh money coming from the prospective initial public offerings of Anthropic and OpenAI to allow those AI labs to keep paying their own bills, people started to worry about CoreWeave's ability to service its debt. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2026 The ballot measure would allow qualified prospective homebuyers to borrow up to 17% of the sales price of a new home, contributing 3% of the down payment from their own funds. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Now, every prospective voter must first complete an enumeration form, and many may subsequently be required to produce onerousdocumentary evidence, such as birth certificates and educational records to establish their eligibility to vote. — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prospective

Word History

Etymology

see prospect entry 1

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prospective was in 1788

Rhymes for prospective

See All Rhymes for prospective

Browse Nearby Words

prospection
prospective
prospective glass
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prospective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prospective. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

prospective

adjective
pro·​spec·​tive prə-ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce prospective (audio)
also ˈprä-ˌspek-, 
prō-ˈspek-, 
prä-ˈspek-
1
: likely to come about
prospective benefits
2
: likely to become
a prospective buyer

Medical Definition

prospective

adjective
pro·​spec·​tive prə-ˈspek-tiv How to pronounce prospective (audio)
: relating to or being a study (as of the incidence of disease) that starts with the present condition of a population of individuals and follows them into the future compare retrospective
prospectively
-lē How to pronounce prospective (audio)
adverb

Legal Definition

prospective

adjective
pro·​spec·​tive prə-ˈspek-tiv, ˈprä-ˌspek- How to pronounce prospective (audio)
1
: relating to or effective in the future
a statute's prospective effect
2
: likely to come about : expected to happen
prospective inability to perform the contract
3
: likely to be or become
a prospective buyer
prospectively adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on prospective

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for prospective

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