'future-oriented' is formed in modern English from the noun 'future' and the participial/adjectival form of 'orient' ('-oriented'), where 'future' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'futurus' meaning 'going to be', and 'orient' (via French/Latin) comes from Latin 'oriri' meaning 'to rise' (originally referring to the east).

'future' entered English via Old French and Latin (futurus) and developed in Middle English as 'future'; 'orient' comes through Old French/Latin from Latin 'oriri' and the verb 'orientare' (to set eastward). The compound adjective 'future-oriented' is a modern English formation (20th century), combining the noun + '-oriented' to mean 'directed toward the future'.

Initially, the elements referred literally to 'what is to come' ('future') and 'to set toward' ('orient'); over time the compound came to mean 'having its attention or planning directed toward future outcomes' rather than any physical orientation.