Foreseeably

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that permits people to anticipate future occurrences or results Through logical reasoning that enables predictions of potential outcomes By a perspective that makes likely future developments recognizable
2. In a manner that allows events to be anticipated based on present information
3. Done in such a way that future consequences can be reasonably predicted

Etymology: "Foreseeably" is a plain formation: the adjective "foreseeable" (able to be foreseen, that is, anticipated before it happens) with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added. "Foreseeable" itself is built from "foresee," which combines "fore-" in the sense of "before" with "see," so the whole chain points to seeing ahead of time. The sense of the adverb follows directly from the adjective. Something happens foreseeably when a reasonable person could have anticipated it in advance, and the word is most often used in this way, as in discussions of risk or responsibility. The meaning has stayed close to its parts throughout, with no notable shift.

Synonyms: predictably, expectedly, apparently

Antonyms: unexpectedly, unpredictably