foreseeable

/fɔːˈsiːəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /fɔːrˈsiːəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /fȯr-ˈsē-ə-bəl/ (ame, mw)

foreseeable — adjective

  • foreseeablepositive
  • more foreseeablecomparative
  • most foreseeablesuperlative

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

1.形容詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

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)

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • 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

文法句型

foreseeable + noun

be + foreseeable

用法筆記

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').

常見錯誤

❌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.形容詞B2
釋義

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.

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

文法句型

the foreseeable future

for the foreseeable future

in the foreseeable future

用法筆記

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.'

常見錯誤

❌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.'