prognosis
prog-NOH-sis
/prɒɡˈnəʊsɪs/
The likely course of a disease or ailment; a forecast of the likely outcome of a situation.
Diagnosis is identifying the problem; prognosis is predicting the future of that problem.
The story behind the word. From the Greek 'pro-' (before) and 'gignoskein' (to know). It literally means 'knowing before,' or having the knowledge to predict what comes next.
Word relationships
- outlook: Outlook is a general term; prognosis is specifically medical or technical.
Commonly confused with
- diagnosis: Diagnosis = What is it? Prognosis = What will happen?
Word family
- prognostic (adjective): Serving to predict the likely outcome.
Collocations
- excellent prognosis
- guarded prognosis
- long-term prognosis
Example sentences
- "The prognosis for his return to the court remains uncertain following the latest scan." Discussing an athlete's potential return to play.
Memory hook
Prognosis = Professional Guess. It's a doctor's expert prediction. Knowing the future of the injury.
When not to use
Do not use when you are identifying what the injury is (that's diagnosis).
Fun facts
- While usually medical, 'prognosis' is also used in economics to describe the future of the market.
Related words
Explore more words
diagnosis, forecast, predict, prophylactic, prophecy, diagnostic
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.