predicted

7 synonyms and 3 antonyms for predicted, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — Past tense and past participle of predict: said in advance that something would happen, on the basis of evidence, reasoning or experience.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

expected estimated

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

forecast projected anticipated

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

foretold prophesied

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

Past tense and past participle of predict: said in advance that something would happen, on the basis of evidence, reasoning or experience.

“Forecasters predicted the storm four days before it made landfall.”

forecast foretold projected anticipated prophesied

2. adjective

Expected on the basis of a model, forecast or calculation, as opposed to what was actually measured.

“The predicted yield was 12 per cent higher than the observed figure.”

forecast projected expected estimated

Opposites

observed actual measured

How to use predicted

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

as predicted widely predicted predicted value predicted grades correctly predicted

Neutral; the adjective use is standard in science, statistics and UK school admissions ('predicted grades').

Etymology

From Latin praedicere meaning 'to foretell', from prae 'before' and dicere 'to say'.

Full origin of predicted →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between predicted and forecast?

They mean much the same, but forecast implies a systematic method applied to data over a defined period — weather, sales, demand. Predicted is broader and covers any statement made in advance, from a rigorous model to a hunch.

What is the difference between predicted and observed values?

The predicted value is what a model or theory says the result should be; the observed value is what the experiment or measurement actually produced. The gap between them is the residual, and studying those gaps is how models get corrected.

What are predicted grades?

In the UK, predicted grades are the results a teacher expects a student to achieve in their final exams, submitted with a university application before the real results exist. Offers are made conditionally on the actual grades matching or beating a stated threshold.

People also searched

expected actual estimated observed measured forecast anticipated projected

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of predicted