Forward-thinking means planning ahead and imagining what might be needed or useful in the future, rather than just dealing with what's happening right now. A forward-thinking person or organization tries to anticipate what's coming and prepare for it.

A forward-thinking school might teach students how to use new technologies before they become common everywhere else. A forward-thinking inventor doesn't just solve today's problems but imagines what challenges people might face years from now. When the Wright brothers built their airplane, they were being forward-thinking: most people at the time thought human flight was impossible or unnecessary.

Being forward-thinking means looking beyond the obvious and immediate. A student who learns skills they don't need right now but will help them later is being forward-thinking. A city that plants trees knowing they'll provide shade in twenty years shows forward-thinking planning.

The opposite would be being short-sighted or reactive: only responding to problems after they appear instead of preparing for them. Forward-thinking combines imagination with practical planning. It involves both dreaming about the future and taking concrete steps today to make tomorrow better.