prognosis

noun

prog·​no·​sis präg-ˈnō-səs 

plural prognoses präg-ˈnō-ˌsēz 

1

: the prospect of recovery as anticipated from the usual course of disease or peculiarities of the case

2

: forecast, prognostication

Did you know?

Prognosis Is Not Just a Medical Term

With its prefix pro-, meaning "before", prognosis means basically "knowledge beforehand" of how a situation is likely to turn out. Prognosis was originally a strictly medical term, but it soon broadened to include predictions made by experts of all kinds. Thus, for example, economists are constantly offering prognoses (notice the irregular plural form) about where the economy is going, and climate scientists regularly prognosticate about how quickly the earth's atmosphere is warming.

Synonyms of prognosis

• prediction
• forecast
• forecasting
• predicting
• prophecy

Examples of prognosis in a Sentence

Right now, doctors say his prognosis is good.

The president had a hopeful prognosis about the company's future.

Recent Examples on the Web

Before the development of effective antivenoms and modern critical care, bites from snakes with comparable venom profiles had much graver prognoses. —Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

My train of thought is to wait for a definitive diagnosis, a prognosis and a plan of treatment. —R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

Bell said the federal evaluator in Chicago, where Brown has been held for competency observation and evaluation, determined Brown is not competent to stand trial at this time, but his prognosis for being restored to competency with medication is good. —Andy Buck, CNN Money, 9 June 2026

My train of thought is to wait for a definitive diagnosis, a prognosis and a plan of treatment. —R. Eric Thomas, Washington Post, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin, from Greek prognōsis, literally, foreknowledge, from progignōskein to know before, from pro- + gignōskein to know — more at know

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prognosis

• cirrhosis
• fibrosis
• gliosis
• hypnosis
• ichthyosis
• ketosis
• kurtosis
• lordosis
• meiosis
• miosis
• mitosis
• mycosis

Kids Definition

prognosis

noun

prog·​no·​sis präg-ˈnō-səs 

plural prognoses -ˈnō-ˌsēz 

1

: the prospect of recovery of an individual who has a disease based on the usual course of the disease and the characteristics of the individual who is sick

2

: forecast entry 2

Medical Definition

prognosis

noun

prog·​no·​sis präg-ˈnō-səs 

plural prognoses -ˌsēz 

1

: the act or art of foretelling the course of a disease

2

: the prospect of survival and recovery from a disease as anticipated from the usual course of that disease or indicated by special features of the case

the prognosis is poor because of the accompanying cardiovascular disease

—P. A. Mead et al.