prophesy

verb

proph·e·sy ˈprä-fə-ˌsī

prophesied; prophesying

Synonyms of prophesy next

transitive verb

: to utter by or as if by divine inspiration

: to predict with assurance or on the basis of mystic knowledge

: prefigure

intransitive verb

: to speak as if divinely inspired

: to give instruction in religious matters : preach

: to make a prediction

prophesier

ˈprä-fə-ˌsī(-ə)r

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for prophesy

foretell, predict, forecast, prophesy, prognosticate mean to tell beforehand.

foretell applies to the telling of the coming of a future event by any procedure or any source of information.

seers foretold the calamity

predict commonly implies inference from facts or accepted laws of nature.

astronomers predicted an eclipse

forecast adds the implication of anticipating eventualities and differs from predict in being usually concerned with probabilities rather than certainties.

forecast snow

prophesy connotes inspired or mystic knowledge of the future especially as the fulfilling of divine threats or promises.

prophesying a new messiah

prognosticate is used less often than the other words; it may suggest learned or skilled interpretation, but more often it is simply a colorful substitute for predict or prophesy.

prognosticating the future

Examples of prophesy in a Sentence

The book claims that modern events were prophesied in ancient times. holy men were prophesying the coming of a new messiah

Recent Examples on the Web The praying, singing, dancing and prophesying happens on a field at night, and the energy is so high that the congregants rarely go to bed. —

Yvonne Mooka, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024 The four family members were led by Leveille, described as a spiritual leader for the group, who prophesied that Abdul was going to resurrect on Easter, which was April 1, 2018, at the time. —

USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Courtesy of Prime Video A decade ago, cord-cutters prophesied a world free of exorbitant cable bills where everyone binged The Office without intrusions from advertisers. —

Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2024 The French philosophe the Marquis de Condorcet prophesied that, with the press finally free, the world would be bathed in the light of reason. —

Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 Republicans also exploit economic anxieties about the transition to greener energy sources, prophesying (baselessly) that Biden’s climate policies will end in economic disaster. —

Liza Featherstone, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023 Of course, our present is far more complex than what prior generations prophesied. —

Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 Silently, austerely, his work seemed to prophesy a future state in which photography would colonize the immanent world and illusions overtake reality. —

Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023 The fear the villagers experience in the film is also due to a church prophesy that an apocalyptic darkness lasting 80 days is imminent. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prophesy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prophecien, prophesien, borrowed from Middle French prophecier, verbal derivative of phophecie, prophesie prophecy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of prophesy was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Prophesy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prophesy. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

prophesy

verb

proph·e·sy ˈpräf-ə-ˌsī

prophesied; prophesying

: to speak or write like a prophet

: foretell, predict

prophesier

-ˌsī(-ə)r

noun

Last Updated: 4 Apr 2024 - Updated example sentences

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prophesy

verb

Synonyms

Examples of prophesy in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near prophesy

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition