# prospective

/pɹəˈspɛktɪv/ (US) · /pɹəspˈɛktɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/prospective
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. potential or future

adjective · CEFR B2

likely to be or become something in the future.

For teachers: expected or likely to happen or become something; often used to describe people who are candidates for a role.

- The university held an open day for prospective students and their parents.
- The real estate agent spent the afternoon showing the property to several prospective buyers who had expressed interest earlier that week.

Usage: Usually placed before the noun it describes.

### 2. looking forward in a study

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

describing a study that follows people over time to see what happens to them.

For teachers: relating to a study design that starts with a group of participants and follows them into the future to observe outcomes.

- The doctors started a prospective study to see how diet affects health over ten years.
- A prospective cohort study was initiated to monitor the long-term cardiovascular effects of the new medication across diverse demographics.

Usage: Commonly used in medical and sociological research contexts.

### 3. a potential candidate

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a person who might join a group, start a job, or become a student.

For teachers: a person who is a potential candidate, member, or customer.

- The coach is meeting with a few prospectives for the basketball team today.
- After the presentation, the recruitment officer stayed behind to answer specific questions from the most promising prospectives.

Teaching tip: While 'prospect' is the more common noun, 'prospective' is sometimes used as a noun in informal recruitment or admissions contexts.

## Examples

- The college holds an open day for prospective students.
- The real estate agent spent the afternoon showing the house to three prospective buyers.
- Before signing the contract, the firm conducted a thorough background check on all prospective partners to ensure their financial histories were compatible with the new venture's goals.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.