futurity

noun

fu·​tu·​ri·​ty fyü-ˈtu̇r-ə-tē How to pronounce futurity (audio)
-ˈtyu̇r-,
-ˈchu̇r- How to pronounce futurity (audio)
plural futurities
1
: time to come : future
2
: the quality or state of being future
3
futurities plural : future events or prospects
4
a
: a horse race usually for two-year-olds in which the competitors are nominated at birth or before
b
: a race or competition for which entries are made well in advance of the event

Did you know?

For a forward-looking word, futurity has quite the literate past. Its first known use comes from Act III of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, when the downtrodden Cassio, mystified about why Othello has turned against him, beseeches Desdemona to tell him whether his “offense be of such mortal kind / That nor my service past, nor present sorrows, / Nor purpos’d merit in futurity / Can ransom me into his love again.” Centuries later the Scottish writer Walter Scott wrote of events still in “the womb of futurity,” employing a phrase also used by James Fenimore Cooper, among others. Though still in use and very much useful, futurity tends to lend one’s speech or writing a lofty tone, so if the situation calls for something more down-to-earth, you may want to go back to [the] future.

Examples of futurity in a Sentence

In English we can express futurity with “will” and “shall.” we can scarcely imagine what observers in some remote futurity will think of civilization as it existed at the dawn of the 21st century
Recent Examples on the Web My interest in fantasy and sci-fi and thinking about this kind of notion around futurity. Essence, 19 Jan. 2024 Their practice addresses themes of belonging, futurity, myth and place by considering our relationship to inherited colonial structures and systems of belief/care. Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 18 Aug. 2023 In light of the internet’s bandwidth, the #OscarsSoWhite movement, and the continued calls for change in the Hollywood industry, Black creators took it upon themselves to show Black futurity in a way that cemented our presence in new and imaginative ways. Kevin L. Clark, Essence, 3 May 2021 What might be the architecture of Black futurity? New York Times, 11 Mar. 2021 As the rider trotted her out for a final victory lap, Karen Gerfen, then communications director for Protect the Harvest, straddled a fence to shoot footage for a show about the futurity on RFD-TV, a channel focused on the West and owned by Rural Media Group. Britta Lokting, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2020 As a consequence, Cadillac’s flag-bearer of futurity is not quite, um, finished. Dan Neil, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2022 Akira bundles up Japan's YTK millennial-approaching existential dread and spins it into an epic about technology and futurity. Josh St. Clair, Men's Health, 18 Aug. 2022 Constituent’s biggest win of the year came in the Restricted Grade 1 Governor’s Cup Futurity when the son of Seperate Interest outdueled stablemate Squid Word to win the 350-yard futurity by a nose. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'futurity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of futurity was in 1604

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Dictionary Entries Near futurity

Cite this Entry

“Futurity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/futurity. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

futurity

noun
fu·​tu·​ri·​ty fyu̇-ˈt(y)u̇r-ət-ē How to pronounce futurity (audio) -ˈchu̇r- How to pronounce futurity (audio)
plural futurities
1
2
: the quality or state of being future
3
plural : future events or possibilities
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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