PROSPECTIVE Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

prospective

adjective

Definition of prospective

as in potential

likely to be or become something at a later time The school had a luncheon for prospective students.

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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.

Recent Examples of prospective Certainly many prospective buyers will blanch at the device’s $2,000-plus price tag. — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 Beyond its own boutiques, De Beers London is pursuing distribution through select American department stores, although prospective partners have yet to be disclosed. — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 The drawing may have been made as a preparatory study to show a prospective patron before Canaletto completed a related painting. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 As more data centers are proposed, some local communities are pushing back against new and prospective projects. — Neha Gour, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prospective

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prospective

Adjective

Good news for Boeing, but could this accidental monopoly be a potential disaster waiting to happen?

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 18 Oct. 2026
That means most people are exposed to AI’s downsides — rising electricity costs, potential job disruption — without any claim on its upside.

— Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of potential

Adjective

Those findings may help developers evaluate design choices and build stronger technical cases for future projects.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
While investors get paid, the practice of private equity sponsors adding more debt to companies — known as dividend recapitalizations — risks weakening their ability to invest or weather future downturns in trading.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of future

Adjective

The students who stepped forward when their teacher collapsed playing basketball in Michigan illustrate what becomes possible when CPR skills are taught before they are needed.

— Meng Yang, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
The film team had to come up with a strategy to capture as much as possible without interfering with Schnell’s challenge.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of possible

Browse Nearby Words

prospecting

prospective

prospects

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“Prospective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prospective. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of prospective

adjective

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