divine

[ dih-vahyn ]

adjective

, di·vin·er, di·vin·est.

1. of or relating to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
2. addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred:

   divine worship.

3. proceeding from God or a god:

   divine laws;

   divine guidance.

4. godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity:

   divine magnanimity.

5. heavenly; celestial:

   the divine kingdom.

   Antonyms: mundane, worldly

6. extremely good; unusually lovely:

   He has the most divine tenor voice.

7. being a god; being God:

   Zeus, Hera, and other divine beings in Greek mythology.

8. of superhuman or surpassing excellence:

   Beauty is divine.

9. Obsolete. of or relating to divinity or theology.

noun

1. a theologian; scholar in religion.
2. a priest or member of the clergy.
3. the Divine,
   1. God.
   2. (sometimes lowercase) the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.

verb (used with object)

, di·vined, di·vin·ing.

1. to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future) by divination; prophesy.

   Synonyms: forecast, foresee, predict, foretell

2. to discover (water, metal, etc.) by means of a divining rod.
3. to perceive by intuition or insight; conjecture:

   She divined personal details about her customers based on their clothing and accents.

   It was not difficult to divine his true intent.

   Synonyms: understand, discern

4. Archaic. to portend.

verb (used without object)

, di·vined, di·vin·ing.

1. to use or practice divination; prophesy.

   Synonyms: forecast, foresee, predict, foretell

2. to have perception by intuition or insight; conjecture.

   Synonyms: understand, discern

divine

/ dɪˈvaɪn /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characterizing God or a deity
2. godlike
3. of, relating to, or associated with religion or worship

   the divine liturgy

4. of supreme excellence or worth
5. informal.
   splendid; perfect

noun

1. the divine
   often capital another term for God
2. a priest, esp one learned in theology

verb

1. to perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight
2. to conjecture (something); guess
3. to discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power
4. tr to search for (underground supplies of water, metal, etc) using a divining rod

Derived Forms

• diˈvinely, adverb
• diˈvinable, adjective
• diˈvineness, noun
• diˈviner, noun

Other Words From

• di·vin·a·ble adjective
• di·vine·ly adverb
• di·vine·ness noun
• half-di·vine adjective
• half-di·vine·ly adverb
• pre·di·vin·a·ble adjective
• pseu·do·di·vine adjective
• sub·di·vine adjective
• sub·di·vine·ly adverb
• sub·di·vine·ness noun
• su·per·di·vine adjective
• un·di·vin·a·ble adjective
• un·di·vined adjective
• un·di·vin·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of divine¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English divin(e), devin(e), from Old French devin(e), Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv(us) “god” + -īnus -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of divine¹

C14: from Latin dīvīnus, from dīvus a god; related to deus a god

Example Sentences

Justice Chandrachud said his comment on seeking divine guidance was because “I am a person of faith” and “to impute motives to judges is not right”.

From BBC

You’ll begin with a handcrafted herbal tea and a brief discussion about the divine energy of the hive.

From Los Angeles Times

They are similar to divining rods some claim can be used to find water, and that UK water companies have used in the past to search for underground pipes.

From BBC

Moments later, as if by her mother’s divine intervention, Griffin’s Valentino belt popped off of her waist and hit the stage with a thud.

From Salon

The what-could’ve-been shrinks in the shadow of what was: an encounter with the divine.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• deduce
• discern
• foresee
• foretell
• infer
• prophesy
• surmise
• visualize