prognosticate

1 of 2

verb

prog·​nos·​ti·​cate präg-ˈnä-stə-ˌkāt 

prognosticated; prognosticating

transitive verb

1

: to foretell from signs or symptoms : predict

2

: to give an indication of in advance : foreshadow

prognosticative

präg-ˈnä-stə-ˌkā-tiv 

adjective

prognosticator

präg-ˈnä-stə-ˌkā-tər 

noun

prognosticator

2 of 2

noun

prog·​nos·​ti·​ca·​tor -ˌkātə(r) 

-ātə-

plural -s

: one that prognosticates

weather prognosticators

—G. S. Perry

prognosticatory

-kəˌtōrē

adjective

Did you know?

Prognosticate, which ultimately traces back to the Greek word prognōstikos (“knowing beforehand, prescient”), first appears in English during the 15th century. Since that time, prognosticate has been connected with things that foreshadow events to come and with people who can prophesy or predict the future by such signs. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley used the “prophesy” sense of prognosticate in her Gothic horror novel Frankenstein as Victor Frankenstein writes of his feelings upon approaching Geneva: “I wept like a child. ‘Dear mountains! my own beautiful lake! how do you welcome your wanderer? Your summits are clear; the sky and lake are blue and placid. Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock at my unhappiness?’” Other English words stitched together from prognōstikos that you may be familiar with include the nouns prognostic and prognosis, which also have senses related to foretelling. Prognostic can mean “prophecy,” while prognosis—used often in medical contexts to refer to the prospect of a patient’s recovery—can also mean “forecast.”

Synonyms of prognosticate

Verb

• predict

Choose the Right Synonym for prognosticate

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 prognosticate in a Sentence

Verb

using current trends to prognosticate what the workplace of the future will be like

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker talked about focusing on the moment with Rocker and not trying to prognosticate the future for the former top pick. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026

Traders eager to continue prognosticating what will happen in Iran are in luck—Kalshi has a market on who will be Khamenei’s successor. —Kate Knibbs, Wired News, 2 Mar. 2026

In a chaotic and unpredictable world, somebody with artificially TV-friendly looks stands in front of a map that isn’t there and attempts to prognosticate the unknowable future. —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 27 Feb. 2026

The new rule of thumb when prognosticating about the NBA trade deadline is to never say never — Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker now — but the Nuggets are just too good to mess around with their playoff rotation over a tax bill. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English pronosticaten "to make a prediction, make a prognosis, portend," borrowed from Medieval Latin pronōsticātus, past participle of prognōsticāre, pronōsticāre "to predict, forecast, portend," derivative of Late Latin prognōsticum prognostic entry 1

Note: Compare Middle French pronostiquer, formed directly from the Medieval Latin verb.

Noun

Middle French prognosticateur, from Medieval Latin prognosticatus + Middle French -eur -or

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prognosticate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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Kids Definition

prognosticate

verb

prog·​nos·​ti·​cate präg-ˈnäs-tə-ˌkāt 

prognosticated; prognosticating

: predict, prophesy

prognosticator

-ˌkāt-ər 

noun

Medical Definition

prognosticate

transitive verb

prog·​nos·​ti·​cate präg-ˈnäs-tə-ˌkāt 

prognosticated; prognosticating

: to make a prognosis about the probable outcome of

prognostication

-ˌnäs-tə-ˈkā-shən 

noun