Rohit Bhargava and Henry Coutinho-Mason
A non-obvious glossary of terms that don’t exist (but soon will). This book is for word lovers, trend spotters, and anyone who has ever wished for a word that didn’t quite exist.
One Word At A Time
Press the button and discover a new word from the future.
The ache for a memory that was AI-generated and never actually lived through.
The app generated a video of Grandpa laughing, stirring fauxstalgia for his grandkids who never got to meet him.
Twelve Teaser Words
Relationships, identity, technology, travel, leisure, parenting, work, money, health, and (our favorite chapter) future insults.
The inability to remember whether you discovered something yourself or were served it by an algorithm.
An algorithm engineered to convert your outrage into engagement, learning exactly which furies keep you scrolling.
The ache for a memory that was AI-generated and never actually lived through.
An outlying location transformed into prime real estate by the arrival of aerial transportation options and convenient drone delivery.
Declining or choosing not to seek out a promotion or high-level role in order to avoid the added pressure, risk, and loneliness that often comes with management positions.
The vindicated delight of watching supposedly godlike technology fail in public.
The act of (over)confidently narrating a future you haven’t tested or researched, often with slides.
Caught between tracking your child responsibly and becoming obsessed with the flood of real-time parenting data.
A retail or service experience that is entirely automated, yet still sold as luxurious, personalized, and premium.
The disorientation of earning from multiple sources and being paid on no set schedule.
A simpler, faster spin-off of a demanding sport, designed to be easier to play or watch.
The cognitive cost of having to constantly verify the authenticity of everything you see and hear.
Inside The Book
A few spreads from the book: every word gets its definition, a usage example, and the coinage notes behind it.
Why This Book
Language has never sat still. Words such as serendipity and cyberspace began as inventions: writers reaching for something no existing word could hold.
Future Words names the emerging tensions already reshaping relationships, identity, work, money, health, technology, leisure, parenting and travel. Smart enough to provoke. Playful enough to give to the logophile in your life.
The Authors
Founder of the Non-Obvious Company and a three-time bestselling author of more than 10 books. Rohit is an avid writer, long-time word lover, and has been invited to speak about trends in the future in 32 countries around the world.
Author of two previous award-winning books on future trends, and the creator of the multiplayer interactive keynote, VisuAIse Futures. Based in London, he’s shared his optimistic provocations with audiences on every continent except Antarctica.
Together, they previously wrote the global bestseller The Future Normal, correctly anticipating 30 shifts shaping how we work, live, and play.
The Details
Out 20 October 2026
Get An Advance Look At The Book
Get a preview of the book, more backstories behind the coinages, some lost words from our research, and more occasional linguistic mischief.
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