wave of the future

noun

1. a trend or development that may influence or become a significant part of the future:

   Computerization is the wave of the future.

Word History and Origins

Origin of wave of the future¹

Phrase popularized as the title of an essay (1940) by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Example Sentences

This is just one of innumerous examples of how synthetics are the wave of the future: anyone cyber-savvy enough can acquire the equipment and ingredients, which are easier to hide and can better withstand the local weather than a coca crop or a poppy plantation, effectively democratizing the drug trade away from Mafia-esque syndicates.

From Salon

In 1940, his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, published a pamphlet entitled ”The Wave of the Future: A Confession of Faith,” which quickly became a best-seller with the America First crowd.

From Salon

She also wrote that totalitarianism might have a few rough edges, but it was an inevitable wave of the future, to which Americans should submit.

From Salon

“When I got out of the service I was convinced that helicopters were the wave of the future and that everybody was going to have one in their garage,” he said in a 2002 oral history for Harvard Business School.

From New York Times

“I hate to think it’s the wave of the future — corporate giants that can’t be toppled,” frontman Eddie Vedder told a Chicago audience days later.

From Los Angeles Times