prospective
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.likely to be or become something in the future.
adj.expected or likely to happen or become something; often used to describe people who are candidates for a role.
Simple“The university held an open day for prospective students and their parents.”
In context“The real estate agent spent the afternoon showing the property to several prospective buyers who had expressed interest earlier that week.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it describes.
PitfallHe is a perspective student. He is a prospective student.Do not confuse 'prospective' (future) with 'perspective' (a point of view).
- 02 C1 Advanced
adj.describing a study that follows people over time to see what happens to them.
adj.relating to a study design that starts with a group of participants and follows them into the future to observe outcomes.
Simple“The doctors started a prospective study to see how diet affects health over ten years.”
In context“A prospective cohort study was initiated to monitor the long-term cardiovascular effects of the new medication across diverse demographics.”
UsageCommonly used in medical and sociological research contexts.
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
n.a person who might join a group, start a job, or become a student.
n.a person who is a potential candidate, member, or customer.
Simple“The coach is meeting with a few prospectives for the basketball team today.”
In context“After the presentation, the recruitment officer stayed behind to answer specific questions from the most promising prospectives.”
Teacher's tipWhile 'prospect' is the more common noun, 'prospective' is sometimes used as a noun in informal recruitment or admissions contexts.
Synonyms
prospective vs perspective — Perspective is a mental viewpoint or physical angle, while prospective describes something expected to happen in the future.
Usage prospective study
“Many view Farage, a right-wing populist who was a vocal campaigner for Brexit , as a prospective candidate for prime minister.”
“Until the new UMCG research, however, randomized, prospective studies had not directly investigated and confirmed this effect.”
From Middle French prospectif, from Late Latin prospectivus. See more at English prospect.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.