künftige

Künftige is a German adjective meaning "future" or "coming." It describes something that belongs to the future—events, periods, or conditions not yet realized—and is commonly found in phrases such as die künftige Entwicklung (the future development) or das künftige Jahr (the coming year).

Grammatically, künftige is the attributive form used before a noun. With feminine singular nouns it takes the ending -e (die künftige Generation), with neuter singular it is das künftige Ereignis, and with plural it appears as künftige Veränderungen, for example. In ordinary sentences it behaves like a typical adjective and uses the normal German article and noun-phrase agreement.

The term can also be used as a noun in some contexts, typically written as das Künftige or, less commonly, das Zukünftige, to refer to the future as a concept. This usage is more literary or philosophical and capitalizes the noun.

Origin and relation to related terms: künftige is closely related to zukünftig and to the noun Zukunft (future). It shares the same semantic field—what lies ahead or is yet to come—and reflects a slightly more literary or formal tone in modern German compared with zukünftig, which is often favored in everyday prose. Both forms can express similar ideas, but choice of form may influence tone and emphasis.

Usage notes: In contemporary standard German, both forms are correct. Zukünftig is frequently preferred for everyday writing and speech, while künftige may appear in literary, academic, or formal contexts to stress a coming or unfolding aspect of the future.