foreseeable

foreseeable — adjective

1. describes something that you can expect to happen because there are signs, reaso

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes something that you can expect to happen because there are signs, reasons, or evidence pointing to it in advance — for example, a side effect a doctor warns about, or a cost a company predicts before starting a project.

Example

The security breach was a foreseeable risk that the bank should have prevented.

foreseeable + noun (risk)

Adina believed the car accident was a foreseeable result of speeding on wet roads.

foreseeable + noun (result)

Common collocations
  • foreseeable consequence
  • foreseeable risk
  • foreseeable outcome
  • reasonably foreseeable
Synonyms
  • predictable

    the closest synonym; 'predictable' can be neutral or suggest something happens exactly as expected, while 'foreseeable' often carries a tone of reasonable anticipation in formal contexts

  • expected

    simpler and more common in everyday speech; 'expected' focuses on what people think will happen, whereas 'foreseeable' emphasises advance knowledge based on evidence

  • likely

    weaker in certainty; 'likely' indicates probability, while 'foreseeable' implies that a reasonable person would have thought of it beforehand

Antonyms
  • unforeseeable

    direct opposite; describes events that could not have been known or guessed in advance

  • unpredictable

    broader opposite; suggests something follows no pattern and cannot be known ahead of time

Grammar Patterns

foreseeable + noun

be + foreseeable

Usage Note

Often used in legal, business, and safety contexts where someone's duty to prepare or warn depends on whether a risk could be known in advance. The adverb 'reasonably' frequently modifies this sense ('reasonably foreseeable').

Common Mistakes

The weather on Saturday is foreseeable.
The weather on Saturday can be predicted with some confidence.
'Foreseeable' does not mean 'certain to happen'; it means there are enough signs to expect it.
This is a fore-see-able problem.
This is a foreseeable problem.
'Foreseeable' is one word, not hyphenated.

2. used in the fixed phrases 'for/ in the foreseeable future' to describe the stret

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

used in the fixed phrases 'for/ in the foreseeable future' to describe the stretch of time ahead that you can sensibly think about and make plans within — often meaning that a situation will continue as it is for a long time, or that something is not going to happen anytime soon.

Example

Noor told her landlord she would stay in the apartment for the foreseeable future.

fixed phrase: for the foreseeable future

Teachers at the school do not expect any timetable changes in the foreseeable future.

fixed phrase: in the foreseeable future

Common collocations
  • the foreseeable future
  • for the foreseeable future
  • in the foreseeable future
Synonyms
  • near future

    more precise about time being close; 'foreseeable future' can stretch further and is vaguer about how long

  • projected timeframe

    more formal and planning-oriented; used in business rather than everyday language

Grammar Patterns

the foreseeable future

for the foreseeable future

in the foreseeable future

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the fixed phrases 'for the foreseeable future' (duration) or 'in the foreseeable future' (point within that period). The noun 'future' is nearly always present — you cannot say '*'for the foreseeable time' or '*'in the foreseeable days.'

Common Mistakes

I cannot finish this today, but I will do it in the foreseeable future.
I cannot finish this today, but I will do it as soon as I can.
The 'foreseeable future' is an indefinite, often long horizon; it does not mean 'soon' or 'shortly.'
For foreseeable future, the school will keep the same schedule.
For the foreseeable future, the school will keep the same schedule.
The definite article 'the' is required before 'foreseeable future.'
Idioms

for/in the foreseeable future

idiom

This phrase refers to a period of time that can be predicted based on current conditions.

The school will stay open for the foreseeable future.

Can we expect any changes in the foreseeable future?

Word family

  • foresee
    verbB2
  • unforeseeable
    adjectiveC1
  • foreseeably
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Predictable' is the closest synonym and the most general — it describes anything that follows a known pattern, whether in a weather forecast or a story plot. 'Expected' is simpler and more common in everyday speech; it focuses on what people think will happen based on general knowledge or habit. 'Foreseeable' is more formal and often appears in legal, business, or risk-assessment contexts, carrying the implication that a reasonable person with available information could have anticipated the event in advance. 'Likely' is weaker in certainty — it expresses probability rather than confident expectation. For example, a storm is foreseeable (the warning signs exist), but exactly which roads will flood is only likely, not certain. Choosing among them depends on how much certainty you want to convey and how formal the context is.

foreseeable ↗predictable ↗expected ↗likely ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English from the verb 'foresee' (which itself comes from Old English 'foresēon' — 'fore-' meaning 'before' and 'sēon' meaning 'to see') plus the adjective suffix '-able' meaning 'capable of being.' The word has been used since at least the 1500s, originally in legal contexts about risks that a reasonable person could be expected to anticipate.