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I'm looking for a word or phrase for someone who does not think about things far into the future. They may only see what is possible in the immediate future, say a year or so, but they do not consider what could happen in 5 or 10 years.

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    Uh, "short-sighted"? – Hot Licks Jun 24 '15 at 02:45
  • @HotLicks - Post that as an answer. That's what I first thought of. – dwjohnston Jun 24 '15 at 02:47
  • @HotLicks does this apply for ideas? I was not sure if short sighted was the correct choice, if it only applies to the actual medical condition. Is there any alternatives that are a little more delicate? –  Jun 24 '15 at 02:47
  • Where did "medical" come from?? – Hot Licks Jun 24 '15 at 02:50
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    @HotLicks "Short-sightedness is a common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly. It's thought to affect up to one in three people in the UK and is becoming more common. The medical term for short-sightedness is myopia."

    http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/short-sightedness/Pages/Introduction.aspx

     –  Jun 24 '15 at 02:53
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    @MichaelN - To most people in the US that's "near-sightedness". – Hot Licks Jun 24 '15 at 02:58
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    @MichaelN - Absolutely short-sighted literally refers to the the eye condition, however it is often used figuratively to mean someone who doesn't see far into the future. This should be included in the answer. – dwjohnston Jun 24 '15 at 03:16

3 Answers3

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A short-sighted person would be a person who does not see far into the future.

cbbcbail
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  • that's myopic in latinate English, which gets a fair bit of usage in the requested sense, too, but also describing lacking attention to detail in general. Accepting this as an answer was myopic. – vectory Nov 12 '19 at 17:13
  • Answers need substantiating references, and merely converting someone else's comment to an 'answer' is not appreciated by many contributors. – Edwin Ashworth Apr 28 '21 at 11:03
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I think parochial is a possible word substitute.

parochial pəˈrəʊkɪəl/ adjective

Having a limited or narrow outlook or scope. "parochial attitudes" (Ref)

mindfultrails
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Short-sighted is probably the best answer, but if you want something more formal, perhaps "improvident": not having or showing foresight; spendthrift or thoughtless.

Germane Jackson
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  • it really translates to "not-fore-sight-ed", though surely went through provision, provide in the sense "prepare, plan" first. very well. – vectory Nov 12 '19 at 17:17