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prognosis

prognosis

55 7.2
A prediction of how a disease or situation will turn out
  • noun
  • /prɒɡˈnoʊsɪs/
translation icon : pronóstico
  • The corrective surgery performed last Saturday was successful; the prognosis is, of course, guarded.
  • poor prognosis
  • diagnosis and prognosis
  • treatment and prognosis

But I can tell you the prognosis, it's just not good.

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Examples

  • The doctor gave her a good prognosis after the treatment began to show results.

  • His prognosis is good.

  • At this point the prognosis is very positive.

  • And her prognosis was terminal.

  • Most people want honest discussions about their prognosis in order to plan their future wishes.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Louella would be down for the count for a while, but the prognosis looked good.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The greatly improved long-term prognosis for cancer patients has magnified the need for intensive care.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Patients often seek a clear prognosis to understand how their condition may improve.

  • After extensive tests, the specialists provided an optimistic prognosis for the young patient.

Synonyms

prospect
vsprognosis
425 3.3

A chance that something will happen in the future

is an outcome expectation that describes how a situation will develop
prediction
vsprognosis
375 2.6

A guess about what will happen in the future based on facts or signs

focuses especially on expected development and likely outcome of a case or disease
forecast
vsprognosis
197 1.8

A statement that says what will probably happen, for example the weather or business

is more about expected outcome and course rather than general event likelihood
prognostication
vsprognosis
8 9.3

A statement about what will happen in the future

is based on evidence and medical or practical analysis rather than signs
medical prognosis
vsprognosis
  • Specialized
4.3

A doctor's prediction of how a disease will develop and if someone will recover

is a general prediction that applies to diseases and other situations

Antonyms

296 4.0

Not being sure about what will happen or what to do

Compounds

medical prognosis
  • Specialized
4.3

A doctor's prediction of how a disease will develop and if someone will recover

Surface Forms

prognosis singular
prognoses plural

Morphology

prognosis = gnosis (opaque) = pro + gnosis

Although historically analyzable as pro- + gnosis, these combining forms are rare and not productive in modern English, so learners cannot reliably infer 'prognosis' from its parts.

Etymology

Prognosis comes from Greek parts pro- 'before' and -gnosis 'knowledge', the same idea you see in diagnosis. So a prognosis is like 'knowing before' — a doctor's or expert's prediction about how a situation or illness will turn out.