prophetic

adjective

pro·​phet·​ic prə-ˈfe-tik 

variants or less commonly prophetical

prə-ˈfe-ti-kəl 

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy

2

: foretelling events : predictive

prophetically

prə-ˈfe-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• predictive

Examples of prophetic in a Sentence

the prophetic books of the Old Testament

in retrospect, those lower-than-expected sales numbers were a prophetic indicator of the financial trouble the company would soon be in

Recent Examples on the Web

Starring Keanu Reeves, a pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., and an always-game Woody Harrelson, A Scanner Darkly is a fun film that manages to be at turns tense, goofy, and prophetic. —Brian Smolensky and James Mercadante, EW.com, 27 Jan. 2025

But as Paul starts to meet the prophetic expectations of his most fervent followers, there are signs of a holy war that could have terrible consequences. —Scott Tobias, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Driven by an inflated sense of his own prophetic powers, Schwab became increasingly interested in diplomacy as things took off at what eventually became the World Economic Forum. —Caitlín Doherty, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025

Weary of dealing with a volatile young man, a Miami-Dade officer issues a blunt warning that would prove tragically prophetic. —Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English prophetyk, borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French prophetique, borrowed from Late Latin prophēticus, borrowed from Greek prophētikós, from prophḗtēs prophet + -ikos -ic entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

prophetic

adjective

pro·​phet·​ic prə-ˈfet-ik 

variants or prophetical

-ˈfet-i-kəl 

: of or relating to a prophet or prophecy

prophetically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb