foreseeable
gb/fɔɹsˈiəbəl/ us/fɔɹsˈiəbəl/
B2
English
~ 9800
előrelátható
B2
FORMAL
1
előrelátható
B2
Usage pattern:
[something] is foreseeable
Given the current data, any major delays are not foreseeable.
A jelenlegi adatok alapján nem látható előre semmilyen jelentős késés.
The accident was not foreseeable and could not have been prevented.
A baleset nem volt előrelátható, ezért nem is lehetett megelőzni.
Within the foreseeable future, demand for electric cars is likely to grow.
There are no foreseeable changes to the company’s policy this year.
The report examines the foreseeable economic impact of climate change.
Learner examples
No big changes are foreseeable this year.
Idén nem láthatók előre nagy változások.
The problem was not foreseeable, so nobody planned for it.
A probléma nem volt előrelátható, ezért senki sem tervezett vele.
It is foreseeable that prices will go up.
In the foreseeable future, more people will work from home.
There are no foreseeable reasons to cancel the trip.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use *foreseeable* to mean simply *soon* or *near*, but it actually means *able to be predicted*. The set phrase is usually *the foreseeable future*, not *a foreseeable future*. Also, do not confuse *foreseeable* with *visible*; it refers to prediction, not sight.
Meaning
Able to be predicted in advance
Collocations
foreseeable future
|in the foreseeable future
|for the foreseeable future
|within the foreseeable future
|foreseeable consequences
|no foreseeable reason
Synonyms
predictable (Very close in meaning; slightly more general and common in everyday speech.)
|
expected (Suggests something is likely; does not always emphasize that it can be logically predicted in advance.)
Antonyms
unforeseeable (Direct opposite; stresses that something could not reasonably be predicted in advance.)
|
unpredictable (Opposite idea of not being able to guess what will happen; broader and more common in general use.)
Themes
time
|planning
|business
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Able to be known or guessed before it happens, because of what we know now.
Able to be predicted, known, or expected in advance, based on what is happening now.
Grammar
Dictionary form
foreseeable
IPA
GB/fɔɹsˈiəbəl/
US/fɔɹsˈiəbəl/
Syllables & stress
fore - see - able (3 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (see)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: foreseeable
- Comparative: foreseeabler
- Superlative: foreseeablest
Word family
Expressions
for the foreseeable future
1/fɚ ðə fɔɹsˈiəbəl fjˈut͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
For all time we can predict
For as long as we can reasonably see or predict from now; for quite a long time ahead, with no change expected soon.
Examples
- She plans to stay in this job for the foreseeable future.
- For the foreseeable future, classes will continue to be online.
within the foreseeable future
1/wɪðˈɪn ðə fɔɹsˈiəbəl fjˈut͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
At some point in the predictable future
At some time before the end of the period we can reasonably predict from now.
Examples
- The new airport should open within the foreseeable future.
- They hope to pay off the debt within the foreseeable future.
in the foreseeable future
1/ˈɪn ðə fɔɹsˈiəbəl fjˈut͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
formal
At some time that can be predicted
At a time that we can reasonably guess or predict from now; not very far into the future, but not very soon either.
Examples
- Oil prices are not expected to fall in the foreseeable future.
- It is unlikely that the law will change in the foreseeable future.
in the foreseeable future
2/ˈɪn ðə fɔɹsˈiəbəl fjˈut͡ʃɚ/
fixed phrase
Within predictable time ahead
In a time that we can guess or see coming soon.
Examples
- The law is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
- There are no plans to expand in the foreseeable future.