Upcomings

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

  1. Referring to events or occurrences that are approaching or scheduled to happen in the near future
  2. Indicating situations, experiences, or occasions that are expected to take place soon
  3. Denoting things that are about to happen, often used in contexts involving planning or anticipation

Etymology: The term "upcomings" is a relatively modern formation in English, built from the base word "upcoming," which itself emerged in the early 19th century. Originally an adjective, "upcoming" described something that was approaching or about to happen, derived from the verb phrase "come up," which meant to arise or approach in time or place. This phrase has roots in Old English, where "cuman" meant "to come," combined with "up" indicating direction or imminence. The plural noun form "upcomings" likely developed by analogy with other abstract nouns that denote events or entities expected in the near future. While "upcoming" was predominantly used adjectivally, especially in contexts like "upcoming event" or "upcoming meeting," speakers began to nominalize it to refer collectively to those events or things themselves. For example, "the upcomings on the schedule" could refer to all the forthcoming engagements. This nominal usage is less common and somewhat informal, but it follows a recognizable pattern in English where adjectives become nouns to express a group or category. Etymologically, "upcoming" combines the preposition "up," signaling movement or progression toward the present or viewer, with the gerund-participle "coming," from Old English "cuman." The fusion conveys a temporal sense of something moving closer to the current moment. Adding the plural "-s" suffix to create "upcomings" turns the concept into countable entities, which is a natural process in English morphology. Though not widely attested in formal writing, the pluralized noun form has gained some currency in colloquial speech and informal writing, particularly in contexts like entertainment or event planning, where multiple anticipated occurrences are discussed. Its usage illustrates how English readily adapts adjectives into nouns to meet expressive needs, even when the original word was not traditionally used that way.

Synonyms: imminents, forthcomings, approachings, nearings, advancings

Antonyms: past, previous, former, retired, old