prophetic

[ pruh-fet-ik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to a prophet:

   prophetic inspiration.

2. of the nature of or containing prophecy:

   prophetic writings.

3. having the function or powers of a prophet, as a person.
4. predictive; presageful or portentous; ominous:

   prophetic signs; prophetic warnings.

prophetic

/ prəˈfɛtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to a prophet or prophecy
2. containing or of the nature of a prophecy; predictive

Derived Forms

• proˈphetically, adverb

Other Words From

• pro·pheti·cali·ty pro·pheti·cal·ness noun
• pro·pheti·cal·ly adverb
• hyper·pro·phetic adjective
• hyper·pro·pheti·cal adjective
• hyper·pro·pheti·cal·ly adverb
• nonpro·phetic adjective
• nonpro·pheti·cal adjective
• nonpro·pheti·cal·ly adverb
• postpro·phetic adjective
• postpro·pheti·cal adjective
• prepro·phetic adjective
• pseudo·pro·phetic adjective
• pseudo·pro·pheti·cal adjective
• quasi-pro·phetic adjective
• quasi-pro·pheti·cal adjective
• quasi-pro·pheti·cal·ly adverb
• unpro·phetic adjective
• unpro·pheti·cal adjective
• unpro·pheti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of prophetic¹

First recorded in 1585–95; from Late Latin prophēticus, from Greek prophētikós; equivalent to prophet + -ic

Example Sentences

The succeeding 17 years have certainly proven that prophetic.

From Ozy

In a prophetic assignment of acronyms, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, which proposes over $579 billion in new spending on hard projects like roads and bridges, has the unfortunate shorthand of BIF—pronounced biff, which rhymes with whiff.

From Time

Eight years later, he sounds prophetic — USC is its own kind of Dunk City.

From FiveThirtyEight

Shortly after Lubomir Kavalek was named an international grandmaster of chess in 1965, he was aboard a train en route to Prague when a countryman, the celebrated Czech player Karel Opocensky, made an observation that proved prophetic.

From Washington Post

Around 400 BCE, Democritus declared that the cosmos is “in reality only atoms and the void,” a prophetic statement if ever there was one.

From Quanta Magazine

The main article called Reflections on the Final Crusade outlines in prophetic terms just how ISIS will crush Christianity.

From The Daily Beast

But there really seems to be something to this idea that King was a bit prophetic when it came to the show.

From The Daily Beast

Doug [Ellin] is a genius at capturing the zeitgeist, and I think Entourage was very prophetic.

From The Daily Beast

Unfortunately, due to lack of effort, he is missing more than hitting in Black Prophetic Fire.

From The Daily Beast

Throughout the entirety of Black Prophetic Fire, he seems to use his celebrity to make the amateur error of arguing by authority.

From The Daily Beast

There was not one of us who did not consider this meteoric display prophetic.

From Project Gutenberg

My prophetic soul reveals to me that a year makes a difference sometimes.

From Project Gutenberg

Could all the wise men of Rome have explained to Julius Caesar the following dispatch, if given in prophetic vision?

From Project Gutenberg

No less a genius, surely, the prophetic pines whisper to the listening mother!

From Project Gutenberg

It lasted very long, and the sailor began to fear that his words had been prophetic.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• apocalyptic
• prescient