future

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From Middle English future, futur, from Old French futur, from Latin futūrus, irregular future active participle of sum (“I am”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to become, be”). Cognate with Old English bēo (“I become, I will be, I am”). More at be. Displaced native Old English tōweard and Middle English afterhede (“future”, literally “afterhood”) in the given sense.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfjuːt͡ʃə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfjuːt͡ʃɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːtʃə(ɹ)

Noun

future (countable and uncountable, plural futures)

1. The time ahead; those moments yet to be experienced.
2. Something that will happen in moments yet to come.
3. Goodness in what is yet to come. Something to look forward to.
   • 2013 August 3, “Revenge of the nerds”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:

     Think of banking today and the image is of grey-suited men in towering skyscrapers. Its future, however, is being shaped in converted warehouses and funky offices in San Francisco, New York and London, where bright young things in jeans and T-shirts huddle around laptops, sipping lattes or munching on free food.

   There is no future in dwelling on the past.

4. (grammar) Verb tense used to talk about events that will happen in the future; future tense.
5. (finance) Alternative form of futures
6. (computing, programming) An object that retrieves the value of a promise.
7. (sports) A minor-league prospect.

Usage notes

• (finance): The one who agrees to, at a future date, sell the commodity is considered to be selling the future; the other buys it.
• (finance): A non-standardized contract to buy and sell in the future is called forward or forward contract.

Synonyms

• (time or moments yet to be experienced): to-come, toward (obsolete); see also Thesaurus:the future

Derived terms

• Back to the Future Day
• cyberfuture
• futurable
• futural
• futurama
• future continuous
• futured
• future history
• future interest
• futureless
• futurelessness
• futurely
• futureness
• future participle
• future perfect
• future perfect continuous
• future perfect progressive
• futurepop
• future progressive
• future-proof, futureproof, future proof
• futurescape
• future shock
• future simple
• future tense
• futureward, futurewards
• futureworld
• futurey
• futurism
• futurist
• futuritial
• futurition
• futurity
• futurization
• futurize
• futurology
• Ghost of Christmas Future
• idea future
• in future
• in the future
• neofuturism
• nonfuture
• nonfuturistic
• retrofuture, retro future
• retrofuturism
• retrofuturistic
• telefuture
• timetable future
• unfutured
• unfuturistic

 

Coordinate terms

• (finance): forward

Translations

the time ahead

• Afrikaans: toekoms (af)
• Albanian: e ardhme f
• Arabic: مُسْتَقْبَل m (mustaqbal)

  Egyptian Arabic: مستقبل m (mustaʾbal)

  Hijazi Arabic: مُسْتَقْبَل m (mustagbal)

• Armenian: ապագա (hy) (apaga)
• Assamese: ভবিষ্যৎ (bhobiissot)
• Asturian: futuru m
• Azerbaijani: gələcək (az)
• Bashkir: киләсәк (kiləsək)
• Belarusian: бу́дучыня n (búdučynja)
• Bengali: ভবিষ্যৎ (bhobiśśot)
• Breton: amzer-da-zont (br) f, dazont (br) m
• Bulgarian: бъ̀деще (bg) n (bǎ̀dešte)
• Burmese: အနာဂတ် (my) (a.nagat)
• Catalan: avenir (ca) m, futur (ca) m
• Central Mazahua: xønrꞹ
• Cherokee: ᎤᏩᎫᏗᏗᏒ (uwagudidisv)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 未來／未来 (zh) (wèilái), 未来 (zh) (wèilái), 將來／将来 (zh) (jiānglái), 将来 (zh) (jiānglái)

• Czech: budoucnost (cs) f
• Danish: fremtid (da) c
• Dutch: toekomst (nl) f
• Elfdalian: framtið f
• Esperanto: estonteco, estonto
• Estonian: tulevik (et)
• Faroese: framtíð f
• Finnish: tulevaisuus (fi)
• French: avenir (fr) m, futur (fr) m
• Galician: futuro (gl) m
• Georgian: მომავალი (momavali)
• German: Zukunft (de) f
• Greek: μέλλον (el) n (méllon)

  Ancient: μέλλον n (méllon)

• Greenlandic: siunissaq
• Gujarati: ભવિષ્યકાળ (bhaviṣyakāḷ)
• Hebrew: עָתִיד (he) m ('atíd)
• Hindi: भविष्य (hi) m (bhaviṣya)
• Hungarian: jövő (hu)
• Icelandic: framtíð (is) f
• Ido: futuro (io)
• Interlingua: futuro
• Irish: todhchaí (ga) f
• Italian: futuro (it), avvenire (it)
• Japanese: 未来 (ja) (みらい, mirai), 将来 (ja) (しょうらい, shōrai)
• Kannada: ಭವಿಷ್ಯತ್ಕಾಲ (kn) (bhaviṣyatkāla)
• Kazakh: келешек (keleşek), болашақ (kk) (bolaşaq)
• Khmer: អនាគត (km) (ʼaʼnaakŭət)
• Korean: 미래 (ko) (mirae) (未來 (ko)), 장래 (ko) (jangnae)
• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ,

• Kyrgyz: келечек (ky) (kelecek)
• Lao: ອະນາຄົດ (lo) (ʼa nā khot)
• Latin: futūrum (la) n
• Latvian: nākotne (lv)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lithuanian: ateitis f
• Low German: Tokummst, Tokunft, Taukunft ((also) Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch), Teokunft (from Enger)

  Middle Low German: tokumst

• Luxembourgish: Zukunft f
• Macedonian: иднина f (idnina)
• Malay: masa depan (ms), masa hadapan

  Indonesian: masa depan

• Maltese: futur, ġejjieni m
• Maori: muri, āmua, anamata
• Mirandese: feturo m
• Mongolian: ирээдүй (mn) (ireedüj)
• Navajo: neeʼnijįʼ, náásgóó
• Norman: futur m
• Northern Ohlone: huššištak
• Northern Sami: boahttevuohta, boahtteáigi
• Norwegian: framtid (no) m or f
• Occitan: futur m
• Old English: tōweardnes f
• Old Prussian: perejīngisku f
• Oriya: ଭବିଷ୍ୟତ (or) (bhôbiṣyôtô)
• Persian: آینده (fa) (âyande), آتیه (fa) (âtiye)
• Polish: przyszłość (pl) f
• Portuguese: futuro (pt) m
• Quechua: qhipan pacha
• Romanian: viitor (ro)
• Romansch: avegnir m (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Puter, Vallader), avagnir m (Sutsilvan), avigneir m (Surmiran), futur m
• Russian: бу́дущее (ru) n (búduščeje), гряду́щее (ru) n (grjadúščeje) (dated or poetic)
• Sanskrit: भविष्य (sa) n (bhaviṣya)
• Scottish Gaelic: àm ri teachd m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: будућност f

  Roman: budućnost (sh) f

• Sicilian: futuru m
• Sinhalese: ඉදිරිය (idiriya)
• Slovak: budúcnosť (sk) f
• Slovene: prihodnost (sl) f, bodočnost f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: pśichod m

  Upper Sorbian: přichod (hsb) m

• Spanish: futuro (es) m, porvenir (es) m
• Swedish: framtid (sv) c
• Tagalog: hinaharap, kinabukasan
• Tajik: оянда (tg) (oyanda)
• Tamil: எதிர்காலம் (ta) (etirkālam)
• Tatar: киләчәк (kiläçäk)
• Telugu: భవిష్యత్తు (te) (bhaviṣyattu)
• Thai: อนาคต (th) (à-naa-kót)
• Turkish: gelecek (tr)
• Turkmen: geljek, ýeneki
• Ukrainian: майбу́тнє n (majbútnje)
• Urdu: مستقبل (mustaqbal)
• Uzbek: kelajak (uz)
• Vietnamese: tương lai (vi) (將來)
• Volapük: fütür (vo)
• Welsh: dyfodol (cy)
• Yiddish: צוקונפֿט f (tsukunft)
• Yup'ik: ciunerkaq

something that will happen in moments yet to come

• Afrikaans: toekoms (af)
• Armenian: ապագա (hy) (apaga), գալիք (hy) (galikʻ)
• Bashkir: киләсәк (kiləsək), буласаҡ (bulasaq)
• Bulgarian: бъ́деще вре́ме c (bǎ́dešte vréme)
• Catalan: futur (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 未來／未来 (zh) (wèilái), 未来 (zh) (wèilái), 將來／将来 (zh) (jiānglái), 将来 (zh) (jiānglái)

• Czech: budoucnost (cs) f
• Danish: fremtid (da) c
• Dutch: toekomst (nl) f
• Esperanto: futuro (eo)
• Finnish: tulevaisuus (fi)
• French: futur (fr) m
• German: Futur (de) n, Zukunft (de) f
• Greek: μέλλον (el) n (méllon)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: עתיד (he) m (atíd)
• Hungarian: jövő idő (hu)
• Italian: futuro (it) m
• Latvian: nākotne (lv) f
• Norman: futur m
• Norwegian: framtid (no) m or f
• Polish: przyszłość (pl) f
• Portuguese: futuro (pt) m
• Romanian: viitor (ro)
• Romansch: futur m
• Russian: бу́дущее (ru) n (búduščeje)
• Scottish Gaelic: àm ri teachd m
• Serbo-Croatian: budućnost (sh) f
• Slovene: prihodnost (sl) f

goodness in what is yet to come

• Bulgarian: бъдеще (bg) n (bǎdešte)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: tulevaisuus (fi)

grammar — see future tense

finance: agreement to sell

• Bulgarian: фючърс m (fjučǎrs)
• Finnish: futuuri (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Future (de) m
• Russian: фью́черс (ru) m (fʹjúčers)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Basque: ^{(please verify)} gero, ^{(please verify)} etorkizun (eu)
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} futuro (io)
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} masa depan
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} futuro
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} futuro (es) m
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} భవిష్యత్తు (te) (bhaviṣyattu)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} gelecek (tr)
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} fütür (vo)

Adjective

future (not comparable)

1. Having to do with or occurring in the future.

   Future generations will either laugh or cry at our stupidity.

   • Template:RQ:Frgsn Zlnstn

     So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills, […] a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.

   • 2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America‎^[1], archived from the original on 7 February 2019:

     It[The study] also attempts to predict the future progression of AI as it relates to new inventions.

     Audio (US)

     (file)

Synonyms

• unborn; see also Thesaurus:future

Translations

having to do with or occurring in the future

• Afrikaans: toekomstig
• Arabic: مُسْتَقْبَلِيّ (mustaqbaliyy), مُسْتَقْبَل (mustaqbal)
• Armenian: ապագա (hy) (apaga)
• Basque: geroko
• Belarusian: бу́дучы (búdučy)
• Bulgarian: бъ̀дещ (bg) (bǎ̀dešt)
• Catalan: futur (ca)
• Czech: budoucí (cs)
• Danish: fremtidig
• Dutch: toekomstig (nl)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} estonta, ^{(please verify)} futura (eo)
• Finnish: tuleva (fi); tulevaisuuden
• French: futur (fr)
• Georgian: მომავალი (momavali), სამომავლო (samomavlo)
• German: zukünftig (de), künftig (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐍃 (anawairþs)
• Greek: μελλοντικός (el) (mellontikós), μέλλων (el) (méllon)

  Ancient: μέλλων (méllōn)

• Hebrew: עֲתִידִי (atidí)
• Hungarian: jövőbeli (hu), leendő (hu), majdani
• Ido: futura (io)
• Interlingua: futur
• Irish: fáistineach
• Italian: futuro (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: futūrus (la)
• Latvian: nākotnes
• Lithuanian: būsimas (lt)
• Macedonian: иден (iden)
• Norman: futur
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: framtidig, fremtidig, tilkommende

  Nynorsk: framtidig

• Old English: tōweard
• Polish: przyszły (pl)
• Portuguese: futuro (pt), vindouro (pt)
• Romanian: viitor (ro)
• Russian: бу́дущий (ru) (búduščij), гряду́щий (ru) (grjadúščij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: будући

  Roman: budući (sh)

• Slovak: budúci
• Slovene: prihodnji
• Spanish: futuro (es), venidero
• Telugu: భవిష్య (bhaviṣya), భావి (te) (bhāvi)
• Turkish: gelecek (tr)
• Ukrainian: майбу́тній (majbútnij)
• Volapük: fütürik (vo)

Derived terms

• futureness
• future perfect
• future simple, simple future
• futurism
• futurist
• futuristic
• futurity
• retro future

 

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fy.tyʁ/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophones: futur, futurs, futures

Adjective

future

1. feminine singular of futur

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Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ure

Adjective

1. (deprecated template usage) Feminine plural of adjective futuro.

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Latin

Participle

(deprecated template usage) futūre

1. vocative masculine singular of futūrus

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• futur, ffutur, futire

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French futur, from Latin futūrus, past participle of sum (cognate to Middle English been).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiu̯ˈtiu̯r/, /ˈfiu̯tur/, /ˈfiu̯tir/

Noun

future (plural futures)

1. (rare) A future action or doing; that which happens in the future.
2. (rare) The future; the time beyond the present.

Descendants

• English: future
• Scots: futur

References

• “fūtūr(e (n.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-20.

Adjective

future

1. Occurring after the present; future or upcoming.
2. (rare, grammar) Having the future tense; grammatically marking futureness.

Descendants

• English: future
• Scots: futur

References

• “fūtūr(e (adj.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-20.

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Norman

Adjective

future

1. feminine singular of futur

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Old French

Noun

future oblique singular, m (oblique plural futures, nominative singular futures, nominative plural future)

1. (grammar) future (tense)