futurist

noun

fu·​tur·​ist ˈfyü-chə-rist 

1

: one who studies and predicts the future especially on the basis of current trends

2

: one who advocates or practices futurism

futurist adjective

Synonyms

• diviner
• forecaster
• prophet
• mystic
• sibyl

Examples of futurist in a Sentence

economic futurists predict a new world order in which information is the resource that drives a nation's economy

Recent Examples on the Web

The band quickly gained a reputation as futurists, but credited their success to generational resonance rather than to innovation. —Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2025

The work of the eclectic American futurist exerted a profound and unanticipated influence on China’s digital transformation since the 1980s. —Howard W. French, The New York Review of Books, 10 Apr. 2025

Timbaland cut his teeth imagining new sonic worlds for the rap futurist Missy Elliott and the late R&B sylph Aaliyah. —Sheldon Pearce, NPR, 17 June 2025

Musk, on the other hand, is a 53-year-old futurist who strives to make humans a multi-planetary species and has made a fortune from innovation and technological disruption. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

futurist

noun

fu·​tur·​ist ˈfyü-chə-rəst 

: a person who tries to tell what the future will be like by studying current trends