forethought
Americannoun
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thoughtful provision beforehand; provident care; prudence.
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a thinking of something beforehand; previous consideration; anticipation.
noun
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advance consideration or deliberation
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thoughtful anticipation of future events
Related Words
See prudence.
Other Word Forms
- forethoughtful adjective
- forethoughtfully adverb
- forethoughtfulness noun
Etymology
Origin of forethought
First recorded in 1250–1300, forethought is from the Middle English word forthoght. See fore-, thought 1
Explanation
Forethought is considering or planning something ahead of time. With some forethought, you can make sure to cook enough food for all the friends you invited to your dinner party. People with forethought are good planners: it takes a little forethought to plan a trip to Europe or to make a monthly budget or to interview someone for a newspaper article. Instead of acting impulsively, using forethought means making a strategy or considering different outcomes before taking action. It comes from the obsolete forethink, "think of something beforehand," from Old English, foreþencan, "to premeditate or consider."
Vocabulary lists containing forethought
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not bad for something he quickly bashed out in bulletin format without much forethought, in response to a post a former colleague had written.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 8, 2026
It seems that the administration may have not applied its usual level of forethought and analytical rigor to this decision.
From Slate • Jul. 24, 2025
Then there is the conspiracy to trespass and all the forethought that allegedly went into this.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2025
On NBC's "Meet the Press," host Kristen Welker wondered if the Trump administration had put any forethought into their global raft of tariffs.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2025
When we came into Lucy’s room I could see that Van Helsing had, with his usual forethought, been putting matters straight and making everything look as pleasing as possible.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
