Outlooker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who remains detached while watching activities unfold
2. Someone who watches events or situations from a distance without participating
3. An individual who views or monitors occurrences without engaging directly

Etymology: "Outlooker" is a plain English formation: the verb phrase "look out" (meaning to keep watch, or to look forth from a place) has been turned into a noun by adding "-er," the same ending that makes "walker" from "walk." The noun it produces names a person who does the looking out. Its near-equivalent "lookout" follows the same route, going from the verb phrase "look out" to a noun for a watchman or a post from which one watches. The word's sense of someone observing from the sidelines grows naturally from that original idea of keeping watch. A lookout watches for danger or opportunity without necessarily taking part in what happens, and "outlooker" stretches that picture to anyone who observes a scene from a distance. The word is a clear example of how English builds nouns on the spot from phrasal verbs, with the meaning following the physical act of looking out.

Synonyms: observer, watcher