Aussicht

Aussicht is a German noun with two principal meanings: a physical view from a place, and an abstract outlook on the future. The term derives from aus- meaning "out" and Sicht meaning "view," and it appears in various compounds and phrases. In dictionaries, Aussicht can denote both a visible panorama and the likelihood of future events, with context usually disambiguating the sense.

In the sense of a physical view, Aussicht refers to what is visible from a vantage point. People talk about "eine tolle Aussicht" when pointing out landscape features from mountains, towers, balconies, or promenades. Places designed for this purpose are called Aussichtspunkte or Aussichtstürme, which are common tourist features in alpine Regionen and cityscapes alike.

In the abstract sense, Aussichten or die Aussicht describes prospects or chances for future development. Common constructions include "Aussicht auf etwas" (outlook for something) and "gute/schlechte Aussichten" (good/poor prospects). This usage appears in journalism, economics, politics, and everyday speech.

A related term is Ausblick, which can function similarly but is more often used to denote a forward-looking view or forecast, such as a forecast period in planning or meteorology. The word is part of a wider family of expressions around sight and future expectation in German.