forward compatibility

English

WOTD – 23 April 2026

Etymology

From forward (adjective) +‎ compatibility (noun).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌfɔːwəd kəmˌpætəˈbɪlɪti/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌfɔɹwəɹd kəmˌpætəˈbɪləti/, [-ɾi]

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlɪti
• Hyphenation: for‧ward com‧pat‧i‧bil‧i‧ty

Noun

forward compatibility (uncountable)

1. (computer hardware, software) The capability of an electronic device, a piece of software, etc., to interoperate with anticipated future systems. [from late 20th c.]

   Synonym: upward compatibility

   Coordinate terms: backward compatibility, backwards compatibility

   • 2021, Mohamed Sarrab, Hafedh Al-Shihi, Naveen Safia, “Compatibility: How Does Mobile Application Interact with Environments?”, in Handbook of Mobile Application Development: A Guide to Selecting the Right Engineering and Quality Features, Singapore: Bentham Science Publishers, →ISBN, page 86:

     Forward compatibility of a mobile application describes an application that is developed in such a way that it fits with planned future versions of the same application. Forward compatibility generally implies that a dependent mobile system such as a mobile application designed for a particular OS [operating system] will function satisfactorily in the future version as well as in the present one.

Alternative forms

• forwards compatibility

Related terms

• backward compatibility, backwards compatibility
• backward compatible
• backward incompatibility
• backward incompatible
• forward compatible, forwards compatible
• upward compatibility
• upward compatible

Translations

capability of an electronic device, a piece of software, etc., to interoperate with anticipated future systems

• Arabic: توافقية مستقبلية ?
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: compatibilitat cap endavant f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 前向兼容性 (qiánxiàng jiānróngxìng)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: voorwaartse compatibiliteit f
• Finnish: eteenpäin yhteensopivuus
• French: compatibilité ascendante (fr) f
• Georgian: წინთავსებადობა (c̣intavsebadoba)
• German: Aufwärtskompatibilität f
• Japanese: 前方互換性 (ぜんぽうごかんせい, zenpōgokansei)
• Korean: 상위 호환성 (sang'wi hohwanseong)
• Māori: hototahi whakamua
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fremoverkompatibilitet ?

  Nynorsk: please add this translation if you can

• Russian: совмести́мость сни́зу вве́рх f (sovmestímostʹ snízu vvérx)
• Spanish: compatibilidad hacia adelante f
• Swedish: framåtkompabilitet c
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can

See also

• extensibility
• future-proofing

Further reading

• forward compatibility on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “forward compatibility, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2026.
• “forwards compatibility, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2025.