Foreseeable: meaning, definitions and examples

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foreseeable

 

[fɔːˈsiːəbl ]

Definitions

Context #1 | Adjective

in planning

able to be foreseen or anticipated; predictable

Synonyms

anticipatable, expected, predictable.

Examples of usage

  • It was a foreseeable outcome of the decision.
  • The consequences of the budget cuts were foreseeable.
  • The increase in demand was foreseeable due to the marketing campaign.
Context #2 | Adjective

in legal terms

likely to be reasonably anticipated and therefore preventable

Synonyms

likely, predictable, preventable.

Examples of usage

  • The court found the negligence to be foreseeable by the defendant.
  • The accident was deemed foreseeable by the insurance company.

Interesting Facts

Etymology

  • The word comes from the Old English 'forsee', meaning 'to see ahead'.
  • It combines 'fore', meaning 'before', and 'see', which has roots in both Old English and Old Norse, highlighting the concept of vision and prediction.

Law

  • In legal terms, the foreseeable range of events is often discussed in the context of negligence and liability.
  • Judges often assess whether a person could have reasonably foreseen the consequences of their actions, influencing legal outcomes.

Psychology

  • Humans have a natural tendency to predict future events based on past experiences, a concept studied in predictive psychology.
  • Cognitive biases, like optimism bias, can influence one’s ability to foresee potential negative events in the future.

Science

  • Predicting weather patterns is a practical application of foreseeability, involving various scientific models and data.
  • In the field of environmental science, assessing foreseeable impacts of climate change is crucial for policy-making.

Pop Culture

  • Many films and novels feature characters with the ability to foresee future events, highlighting the human fascination with prediction.
  • In classic literature, prophets or seers often illustrate cultural attitudes toward foreseeability.

Translations

Translations of the word "foreseeable" in other languages:

🇵🇹 previsível

🇮🇳 पूर्वानुमेय

🇩🇪 voraussehbar

🇮🇩 terduga

🇺🇦 передбачуваний

🇵🇱 przewidywalny

🇯🇵 予測可能な

🇫🇷 prévisible

🇪🇸 previsible

🇹🇷 öngörülebilir

🇰🇷 예측 가능한

🇸🇦 متوقع

🇨🇿 předvídatelný

🇸🇰 predvídateľný

🇨🇳 可预见的

🇸🇮 predvidljiv

🇮🇸 fyrirsjáanlegur

🇰🇿 болжамды

🇬🇪 წინასწარმეტყველებადი

🇦🇿 proqnozlaşdırılan

🇲🇽 previsible

Word Frequency Rank

Ranked #11,862, this word falls into high-advanced vocabulary. It appears less frequently but is valuable for expressing precise meanings in specific contexts.