Outlook

ˈaʊtˌlʊk

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonEmotion
3 meanings3 idioms/phrases4 questions

Definitions

3 meanings
1

A person's general attitude to life or towards a particular topic; a viewpoint or opinion.

ˈaʊtˌlʊk

nounneutralBeginner
Emotion

A person's perspective or point of view.

Despite the challenges, she maintained a positive outlook.

💡 Simply: Your outlook is how you see things, like if you think the future will be good or bad. Imagine you're looking out a window; your outlook is the view you have.

👶 For kids: How you think and feel about things, like if you're happy or sad about the future!

More Examples

2

His pessimistic outlook on the economy worried investors.

3

The weather forecast provided a gloomy outlook for the weekend.

How It's Used

General

"Her outlook on life is very positive."

Business

"The company's outlook for the next quarter is optimistic."

2

A forecast or prediction about the future; the likely future.

ˈaʊtˌlʊk

nounneutralBeginner
Prediction

A forecast or prediction.

The economic outlook is uncertain.

💡 Simply: An outlook is like a guess about what will happen. Imagine a weather forecast; it's the outlook for tomorrow's weather.

👶 For kids: A guess about what will happen in the future, like the weather report!

More Examples

2

The company's sales outlook is positive.

3

The weather outlook predicts rain later today.

How It's Used

Business

"The company's financial outlook for the next year is strong."

Weather

"The weather outlook for tomorrow is sunny."

Tip:Think of looking *out* into the future to see its *outlook*.
3

A view or perspective from a specific location; a view one has from a certain point.

ˈaʊtˌlʊk

nounneutralmedium
Geography

A view from a particular place

From the top of the hill, there was a breathtaking outlook.

💡 Simply: The view you have from a certain place or building. Like what the view looks like from your house or apartment.

👶 For kids: A view that's far away, like the view from your house!

More Examples

2

The apartment had a serene outlook.

3

The outlook of the seaside villa was gorgeous.

How It's Used

Geography

"The house has a beautiful outlook over the valley."

Real estate

"The apartment's outlook is stunning, with panoramic views of the city."

Tip:It's how far you can 'look out'

Idioms & expressions

outlook on life

A person's general attitude towards life.

"Her positive outlook on life helped her overcome many challenges."

economic outlook

A forecast of the economic conditions or prospects for a specific period.

"The economic outlook for the next quarter is promising."

weather outlook

A forecast of weather conditions.

"The weather outlook for the weekend is sunny and warm."

From Middle English *utlok*, from Old English *ūtloca* ('place of observation, view'), from *ūt* ('out') + *loca* ('look, view').

The word outlook emerged in the 17th century, originally referring to a physical view, and gradually evolved to encompass perspectives and forecasts.

Memory tip

Think of looking *out* from a window to see your *outlook* on the world.

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"place of observation, view"

positive outlooknegative outlookeconomic outlookweather outlookbleak outlookoptimistic outlookgloomy outlookfuture outlook

Common misspellings

outlokoutloock

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written